Quadrantids Shower
by lyrae.lights
Summary: I idly flopped on my belly. "You know, Renesmee is better at explaining how we exist," I tilted my head to look at the gaping vampires, "but I suppose staring works too. Grandpa says we grow really fast." Apparently, you don't stop being sassy even after you die. Self-insert OC.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** I idly flopped on my belly. "You know, Renesmee is better at explaining how we exist," I tilted my head to look at the gaping vampires, "but I suppose staring works too. Grandpa says we grow really fast." Apparently, you don't stop being sassy even after you die. Self-insert OC.

 **Author's Notes:** Self-inserts, the bane of the fanfiction realm. Hopefully, I won't be repeating too many cliches in the Twilight Realm. Then again, I haven't read that many Twilight fanfics to know.

 **Disclaimer:** All rights belong to Stephanie Myer. I own nothing except my SI OC.

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _Of everything I thought would happen, it wasn't so bad._

 _The interesting part about being reborn in a fictional series is how things suddenly become more real. Before, they were just characters from a book, merely words on a page. I felt that characters lik_ _e Esme and Charlie were two dimensional. They were easy to understand and dismiss as people. Even Isabella and Edward were too easy to understand. Hopeless romantics._

 _But living with them, being raised by them changed my perspective._

 _It was easy to dissociate my family from the franchise. While the movies hit key physical characteristics, in reality they looked different. The beauty of vampires is uncapturable by people doned in makeup and special effects. Vampires were eerily beautiful. They were certaintly inhuman, but it was not merely from the pallor of their skin or eyes. It was in the way they moved. They walked like water, moved like silk. Every movement demanded attention._ _Every part of them was compelling. You can't help but look at them._

 _I never intended on becoming close to those strangers,_ _merely content with watching the events unfold around me. After all, I knew what was going to happen. What else was I was going to do?_ _A part of me wondered what I would do when the battle was over. What I would do - could do -when the Volturi left the Cullens alone._

 _Things changed - they changed._

 _They were creatures of habit, unlikely to alter their ways. To vampires, finding a mate was one of the greatest changes a vampire could undergo. It was deeply personal, one intrinsically tied to survival. Spending eternity with a companion made all the difference. The Cullens had unusually strong bonds with each other. Despite this, they were vampires, and they remained the same. How anyone could attend high school endlessly was a wonder to me. The repetition would have drove humans crazy. To them, it was a way of life. They did not change._

 _But if vampires were like stone, Renesmee and I were like water. Unlike immortal children who could never grow, we were constantly changing through mental and physical growth. For our family who raised us, they too, were forced to adapt to our changes, spurring them to change as well. It was the first time Esme and Rosalie could live their dreams of raising children. It was the first time Alice had to fashionize for varying proportions, styles, and usage, especially difficult without her sight. It was the way Emmet grew more responsible while Jasper grew more gentle. To Carlisle, we were medical marvels, and he would spend countless hours theorizing new medical theories - not that he could ever publish his results. To Bella and Edward, we were their their pride and joy. For all our maturity, there were times they could not handle us, head-butting like typical parents with children. They learned exasperation and the humbling trial hoods of parenthood. With everything they did, they loved us utterly._

 _And for that, I could no longer viewed those who loved me as distant entities. To see them look at me with such love, such devotion, how could I not reciprocate?_

 _A most peculiar event was the event of my birth. Whether it was fate or genetics, even my father could not read my mind. As a result, they were not aware of my existence until I entered the world. I always did think Bella's stomach in the movie was too big for one baby._

 _And well, they were all surprised._

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Thank you for viewing this piece! After the first 24 hours, I had over 80 views, and was truly shocked with the amount of people willing to read my thought baby. I'm super pumped with updating this work. Without further ado, drumroll please, chapter one of QS!**

* * *

Being born is the most terrifying thing possible. To drown in your mom's fetal liquid was quite frankly disgusting. This was even before being squeezed out a hole small enough to reshape your head.

My eyes struggled to see. Fuzzy images dotted my eyes, the lights pulsing too strong for my dilated pupils. I cried, struggling against a grip on my body. A sweet voice cooed in my ear, rocking me back and forth. Someone swathed me in a warm blanket, intent on having me calm down. Yawning, I stretched my tiny fist out.

I knew nothing else.

* * *

A shiny bauble dangled in front of my face, gliding into a circle. I blinked at this seemingly strange object interfering with my vision. I reached out, trying to grasp it with my fingers. The wolf danced out of my reach.

I growled, stretching to look at what was happening.

 _Where am I?_

Turning my head to look at my surroundings, a flash of gold caught my eye. Beside me was a Blonde Goddess gazing at me adoringly. Why was she looking at me like that? If I were male, I would be tripping over myself to hit on her. Next to her was a beefy man cradling a baby. The juxtaposition of such a picture was hilarious. Giant, meet Baby.

 _Why am I here?_

I remember the beeping of a heart monitor. My mother holding my hand as the doctor put me under for surgery. Breathing into my oxygen mask, I began counting backwards from ten before oblivion took me.

And then there was nothing. Was I dead? Did I _die_?

I looked downward, my feet were wrapped in soft yellow. I pressed my hands against my face, making a sharp slapping sound that made the Blonde Goddess look at me with worry. My cheeks were unnervingly chubby, my hands lacking dexterity. This was my body? This… is not possible.

The baby in the Giant's arm squirmed, and I looked over at her. She squealed, reaching toward me. My body moved back instinctively. The Blonde Goddess scooped me into her arms to move me closwer to the other baby. I tried to open my mouth and express my displeasure.

"Gaawmfada." I frowned before trying again, "Gawwmfada truuefafa."

I huffed, and the other baby's face was unnervingly close to mine. She had big chocolate brown eyes. A mass of curls tumbled from her head, reminding me of a rolly-polly puppy with uncontrollable hair. Gazing at me, her eyes were excited and bright. She flashed a smile. _Woah, those are some white teeth._

Chubby cheeks were a weakness of mine. I squished her cheeks with my fingers, incredulous with how soft it felt. She squealed, the sound incredibly high and adorable. I grinned before licking her cheek, eliciting another loud squeal. Both the Giant and Blonde Goddess were chuckling over our antics. She pouted. Reaching out, she put her hand on my cheek.

A calmness set over me. Her brown eyes met mine, and I felt something flow into me. I closed my eyes.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

 _Awareness, that is all she knows. There is another next to her, and she cuddles close to it. It is warm. She kicks her leg out, and there is a sudden snapping noise. She is unhappy. Someone else is unhappy. It is shaking. The other one nudges her, and she stops moving._

When I open my eyes, her brown eyes are barely looking at me. Her hand is partly grazing my head, drooping off to the side. Baby's eyelids flutter, she is having trouble keeping them open. I lean into her, and nudge her like her memory showed me. She beams in response, curling into me before falling asleep.

The Blonde Goddess is now holding me close to her chest. I look at the ceiling, intent on understanding what just happened. Everything feels so familiar.

A soft voice breaks me out of reverie.

"May I hold her, Rose?"

My head snaps up, craning to look.

The speaker was female, all saccharine and slender features. She was beautiful like the Blonde Goddess, but her softness and gentleness reminded me of an era of lace dresses and leather gloves. A longing expression was on her face. The Blonde Goddess must have seen it too because she held me a little tighter before finally letting me go.

The new women cradled me gently into her arms, her eyes suspiciously bright. "Hello little one," the new women whispered, "I'm your Grandmother Esme."

 _Esme. Rosalie. Memory Delivering Baby._

... I am in so much denial right now.

I had no idea what was happening, but I need to figure it out soon.

* * *

"Edward, the girls are fine," Carlisle said concernedly.

They both glanced down at the two babies lying on their cot, taking in their familiar features. Both of them were exceptionally beautiful. Vampires were renowned for their pale, chiseled, and flawless looks, but there was a certain coldness and inhumanity in their beauty. They were made to be attractive, not approachable. The two hybrids lying beneath them were a combination of vampire perfection and human frailty, of symmetrical features and artistic coloring. There was beauty in color, beauty in rosy lips and cheeks. For humans, they would be viewed as stunning. For vampires, they would be a beautiful enigma.

Renesmee had her father's profile, high cheekbones, lips, and a straight nose. Wavy bronze ringlets pooled over her head. She had her mother's chocolate brown eyes and pale complexion. Carlie took after her mother. All heartshaped face, thin nose, and dark hair. When the baby first opened her eyes, Carlisle was stunned to see green eyes, the color of fresh grass, look back at him. Those were Edward's eyes before the transformation. Those were Elizabeth Masen's eyes.

They were undeniably beautiful, but the prominence of their features were worrying. In less than two nights they aged six months. It was unheard of it, and if weren't for the delicate nature of the situation, he would be contacting his fellow doctors for advice. They were growing at a fast rate with no indication of slowing. Outwardly, they looked fine.

Renesmee had her thumb stuck in her mouth, another hand grasping Carlie's nightgown. Carlie was spread out like a starfish, hands stretched over Renesmee and legs jutted out.

He smiled at the heartwarming scene, "I never thought I would become a grandfather."

"They grow too fast," Edward's fist clenched, knuckles tightening over his skin, "At this rate, does this mean we'll only have them for a few years?"

Carlisle grimaced, "My tests were inconclusive, but their growth seems to be slowing down. If not, we could always..."

They could always turn them. While none of them chose immortality, except for Bella, none of them would be willing to let the newest additions to their family die due to accelerated growth. Of course, there was always the issue of Jacob Black. Edward scowled in irritation. One minute he was busy injecting venom to keep his wife alive, and the next, Black was busy fawning over his daughter.

Imprinting.

While he was relieved the mutt didn't imprint on Bella - how awkward that would have been - he wasn't happy with the result. And blast it all, he couldn't exactly blame the werewolf for imprinting on Renesmee. He was well aware of the nature of imprinting, though that didn't stop him from hating the werewolf. If they had no choice but to to turn her, her heart would stop beating. For all intents and purposes, she would be dead, and the imprint would be broken. A severed imprint would be agony, a ripping of a soul. The last known loss of an imprint was from legends...and it did not end well. Still, although he owed much to Jacob Black, he wouldn't let his daughter live for ten years before succumbing to death. Carlisle, sensing his son's distress, turned to a lighter discussion.

"Have you heard Carlie's thoughts yet?"

Edward let out a noise half amusement and half exasperation.

"No," he smiles, "silent just like her mother.."

Carlisle hummed, "Gifts are quite fascinating. Renesmee's transferring of thoughts is very much a reversal of yours, while Carlie seems to possess her mother's shield. Although," he paused, " I never heard of two gifts exactly the same. Perhaps there is a difference?"

Edward shook his head. "If there is, I haven't noticed. I've been listening for the past two days, and I haven't heard anything from her."

It was Carlie's 'silence' that led them to believe there was only one baby. When the rest of the family arrived home, they were happily surprised with the sight of not one bundle, but two bundles. Oh, how eager Esme was to hold one.

The joys of children, they were always surprising little creatures.

Edward delighted in listening to Renesmee's thoughts, but marveled at Carlie's gift as well. Like Carlie's mother, he couldn't hear her thoughts. Instead, he held the conundrum in his arms, analyzing her expressions like he used to with a girl in Biology. Every moment he raptly watched his daughter's face, trying to learn her thoughts and personality. How she made a repulsed face at baby formula, how a mischievous twinkle would enter her eye, how she was fascinated with Renesmee's cheeks. Never did he feel so grateful for his vampire senses. And speaking of vampires...

"How is Bella?"

"I checked on her just now, she is turning at the usual pace."

"She's quiet," Edward commented, "too quiet."

They could hear Bella's heart beating. She was alive. They were aware the transition to vampirism was unbearably painful. It was the sensation of being ignited from inside. They could never forget the feeling. To see the peacefulness was disconcerting. Edward was torn between watching the stillness of his wife or his growing children.

Carlisle put his hand on his son's shoulder, "You did fine, son."

They could do nothing but wait to see the end results. For now, they were content with watching two miracles.

* * *

Twilight, I was in _Twilight_.

More accurately, I was in Breaking Dawn. Regardless, the thought was utterly terrifying.

I watched Renesmee sleeping across from me, her hand on my frilly nightgown, mouth busy sucking her thumb.

It was incredibly simple to connect _memory transfering baby_ and _Esme flipping Cullen_ holding me.

 _How is this my life?_

I am in Breaking Dawn. I'm Renesmee's twin. Interestingly, my name was _Carlie Elizabeth Cullen,_ taking Renesmee's middle name from the series. The Elizabeth was from Edward's mother. Renesmee was now _Renesmee Marie Cullen_ after Bella's middle name and her late grandmother Marie. Quite frankly, between Renesmee and Carlie, I'm glad I got Carlie. Renesmee was a mouthful, and Nessie was just atrocious.

Gah, I'm the twin of Wonder Girl extraordinaire and Love Child of the most hated/loved couple in history. In fact, the entire Twilight series is a controversial ball of love/hate by the masses unparalleled until the creation of _50 Shades._ On the bright side, I wasn't the child of Anna and Christian….

Regardless, what was my purpose here? Renesmee was more than capable of convincing the other vampires of her human qualities. The ending was happy. The Olympic Coven walked away from the Volturi scott free plus a couple dozen allies. Aro's witnesses spread the word of the Cullen's awesomeness, and the Volturi run with their tails behind them. It was an all around win.

I puzzled these thoughts in my head, turning the plot in my head. I wasn't looking for something to change, per say, but more of an explanation. Unless, the Volturi confrontation was never to happen? Was I supposed to prevent Renesmee and Jacob from hunting in the woods, prevent Irina from ever stumbling across them, prevent her from confusing Renesmee with immortal children? While it would prevent the Volturi from ever arriving to Forks, it would merely prolong the inevitable confrontation. The Cullens were a threat to the Volturi. Too strong, too large, too many covetable gifts. Alice was exceptionally desirable to Aro since _New Moon_ , he was itching for an opportunity to take her away. Renesmee was simply the excuse. If it weren't for the possibility of losing, he wouldn't have backed down.

I was at a loss. Can one have a life crisis when they are still a baby?

Never having siblings before, I wasn't quite sure what to do with one. To the best of my knowledge, older siblings were always exasperated, sometimes tolerant, and maybe even fond of their younger siblings. Technically, I could be the younger twin, but I will forever view myself as the older one.

Thinking of these things, I continued to watch Renesmee sleep. _Ugh, channeling Edward already._ Watching the steady fall and rise of her chest - _so much Edward_ \- I thought that I couldn't let anyone hurt her. She was my twin, my other supposed half, and something protective rose inside of me for this baby.

I was Carlie Cullen, alliteration wonder, and life has gotten difficult.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts:** Gah, I think I got tired of writing formally, and started changing my tone by the end. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have any suggestions for Carlie's gifts? ;)


	3. Chapter 2

**To Eladrien & ShigureAyameHatoriFanClub: **Thanks for the compliments, I'll try my best to live up to expectations. ;)

 **To DarkDust27** **:** LOLs, I can see Carlie act innocent but be shameless in front of people she is close to. Poor Edward. Where on earth did her personality come from?

 **AN: Thank you for all your reviews. I love all your ideas for Carlie's gifts, and I have seriously played around with all of them. When I make a decision, I hope it won't be an overpowered cliche. Your support for QS have given me so much confidence and enthusiasm for writing. I'm happy everyone likes it. I mean, 500 views? It's crazy.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I own nothing. Edward and Alice's conversation was taken from Breaking Dawn. I took liberties in editing it to suit my needs.**

* * *

"Renesmee," Carlisle said sternly.

My twin stared at him, unimpressed.

It all began when Jacob first held out the baby bottle to her. She suckled greedily on the nipple before spitting it back out white dribble. _Ahh, baby formula._ Previously, the Cullens always fed us blood. While Renesmee had no trouble in downing the crimson drink, I grimaced before taking a tentative sip.

And _wow,_ it was _amazing_. Since blood varies from person to person, there is no 'one size fits all'. The best comparison I could relate would be the ridiculous coffee orders one can buy in Portland, AKA coffee snob capital of the world. I used to think a triple shot caramel mocha at Starbucks was the most complicated order. I was wrong. Some people actually can _specify_ the coffee beans they want, the milk they want, the different syrups from _Fireside Marshmallow_ to _Buttered Rum_. Bless the flavoring company Torani for coming up with all these bizarre flavors and becoming the source of hatred for overworked coffee makers.

Blood was like coffee drinks with different types and amount of flavoring, milk, and consistency. How 'tasty' it was depended on personal preference. Case in point, Renesmee preferred thicker blood with notes of masculinity (my sister, the maneater), while Edward was attuned to Bella's floral notes. So far, we've only downed O type blood. I haven't made any distinctions among A or B type blood. That leads me to wonder whether Renesmee and I have blood types. Do animals even have blood types?

Regardless, when Jacob pressed a baby bottle to Renesmee, my trusting sister had no qualms with drinking her latest meal before realizing it tasted like absolute shite. Moving her face away from Jacob, her eyes were a little misty.

 _This is awful._ _How could you do this me?_

She turned her little body away from him, reaching out toward Rosalie and me with pleading eyes. Jacob's face crumpled. The man was seriously whipped.

Eventually, Renesmee struggled so much, Jacob had to let her go. Poor Jacob, it wasn't _really_ his fault _._ It's like blaming the tool that committed the offending act. Although Rosalie could have easily held us both, she needed a free hand to feed us.

Hence, I ended up in Jacob's arms.

I always wondered what Jacob thought about me. Renesmee was his imprint, the light of his life. He was completely and utterly devoted to her. While Jacob would undoubtly love Renesmee, where would that leave me? I was Renesmee's sister, we were part of each other. I didn't believe that you could hate your soul mate's sister. However, I was also the fetus that caused Bella so much pain. Would he hate me, alluding the existence of an extra fetus to be the 'real' reason Bella suffered so much?

Holding me the first time, Jacob's gentleness was startling. My arms instinctively curled around his neck. _Warm_. He chuckled.

"Your sister is going to drive me crazy"

I nodded, and tried to pat his head. _There there._

He shifted his arms, and I was cradled in his gigantore hands. When looking at Renesmee, Jacob appeared as a "blind man seeing the sun for the first time." For me….it was fondness mixed with exasperation. No apprehension or fear could be found in his features. Tracing me with his eyes, he smiled.

"Gosh, you look like your mother."

…interesting. I reminded him enough of Bella that he couldn't hate me. That, or he realized I wasn't Satan's spawn. I wondered what I looked like when Renesmee had Edwards facial features. What did a hybrid baby with Bella's features look like? My thoughts were interrupted by Rosalie. She was holding a bottle to my face. I looked at her, not impressed.

"Go on," the goddess said.

I hesitatingly put the nipple in my mouth. This was not going to end well. Before sucking, Renesmee looked at me with abject horror.

 _Don't do it!_

I ignored her, and braced myself.

It….was _awful._

Upon my first gulp, I shuddered. Baby formula was nasty. Powdered milk was awful to begin with, all cloying and artificial compounds combined with a starchiness that made it particularly gag worthy. It was lukewarm, and it reminded me of throw-up in the back of one's mouth. The awful taste lingers like cough syrup or medicine. Still, I trudged on in battle, never bothering to stop. Once you stop doing something you hate, you'll never go back.

By the time I drank a two thirds down, I felt nauseous. Rosalie instinctively sensed I was done and moved the bottle away.

She cooed at me, "Such a good girl, Carlie."

I grimaced inwardly. Never again.

Renesmee looked at me with a mixture of incredulity and betrayal. On a baby, it just looked like a pout. Jacob tried to get her to drink some more milk.

"Renesmee," he tried, "Carlie drank hers. Won't you be a good girl, and do the same?"

She turned her head away from him in dismissal. _Aah, poor Jacob._

When Carlisle came back, he was flummoxed by the sight of our unhappy faces.

"Is something wrong?"

Rosalie sighed before answering, "The girls don't like the formula. Renesmee won't drink more than a sip."

Jacob continued tried coaxing Renesmee, much to her dismay. At one point, he tried to drink some as well to show her it wasn't bad, but he gagged at the taste, self-destructing his argument.

So, here we were, with Renesmee staring down Carlisle in a battle of wills.

Is it wrong that I'm cheering my sister on?

Considering we have only been born for a day, Renesmee's intelligence and deduction that Carlisle was responsible was a little terrifying. In 24 hours, my cute little sister has reasoned where our prison food came from. _The Man._ I was, admitting, thankful I had an excuse of maturing faster. After all, no one knew how fast hybrids progressed. Considering that Renesmee could read Tennyson in a few months, I could probably start speaking soon.

For the Cullens, our continuous growth was worrying. Since no one knew how we would develop, they prepared themselves for the worst. Aging quickly, we were going to die quickly. Carlisle, the esteemed leader, was trying to conduct studies to model our behavior. Considering we were fresh study material in over three hundred years, Carlisle was all over us. Granted, his fervor " _For science!"_ was from being a doctor, but his caring stemmed from being a grandpa. For being the first supposed hybrids, Carlisle was convinced we needed both solid foods and blood for a balanced diet. Since human bodies grow, specific proteins were needed to fulfill bodily functions. Blood didn't cut it, we needed nutrients from solid foods. Being two days old, solid food was out of the question. Hence, the baby formula.

Practicing medicine since the beginning of time, everyone let him do his thing. He made charts, plans, enthusiastic monologues about us "miracles". I swore I could see stars in his eyes.

Rensmee stared at him, as if willing him to stop implementing his medical voodoo on our life.

Carlisle was trying to convince her Renesmee that milk was good for her. Good luck, bub, you'll need it.

Eventually, they settled on a compromise. If she drank her milk, she gets blood. Renesmee drank her milk diligently, and Jacob and Rosalie began opened fresh blood bags. As Jacob was struggling to figure out how to rip the plastic bag, Renesmee sunk her teeth into Jacob.

"Nessie!" Jacob exclaimed, "I'm trying, okay?"

My sister ignored him, and continued to bite alongside his shoulder. Rosalie snickered at his plight. Carlisle mused at her lack of of venom.

Eventually, Jacob found the right strap to tear off, and Nessie sucked eagerly on the straw. Crisis averted. For now.

* * *

When Alice loomed over me a few hours later, I pulled Renesmee a little closer to me. Beside me, Renesmee sent me a picture of Alice's maniacal face with a question mark.

Oh, my dear sister, you don't want to know.

A moment later, Jasper and Edward was right beside her. Jasper, I suppose, sensed my acute distress and came to investigate. Edward was probably trying to ensure Jasper held onto his control.

With three vampires peering into our cot, my face flushed with embarrassment.

Jasper looked at his wife, "Carlie's just shy." Edward rolled his eyes. He knew I was also _terrified_.

Alice beamed.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

My fear grew. At some point, Rosalie appeared as well. Hoisting both me and Renesmee out of the cot, I turned pleadingly at the male vampires. Jasper looked at me with a tinge of remorse, but smiled at his wife's happy mood. Edward looked at me pityingly. He made no move to help me. What good is having a mind-reading father if he couldn't help you at your darkest hour?!

I scowled darkly.

* * *

Looking up through my eyelashes, I opened my mouth in my goldfish impression. I rose my fist triumphantly.

Alice grinned while she snapped a picture. Rosalie and Esme visibly melted next to her. On the sidelines, the male vampires looked on. Happy their mates were happy, they found my antics hilarious.

At first, being dressed up as a Barbie Doll was unappealing. Alice was a fashionista, and while I didn't hate clothes like Bella, I was terrified how many outfits I would have to try on. After all, in Breaking Dawn, Alice made _photobooks_ in less than two days.

When she brought out my first outfit, my inner girl cried out in happiness.

It was a princess dress. Unlike cheap pink monstrosities, Alice picked out a tasteful white dress with lace sewn onto the sides. There were multiple layers for that swishy effect. Little pink ribbon bows were sewn on the dress. Coupled with being extra small, the dress looked utterly adorable. I would be the most classy looking baby princess.

Once putting it on, I struck a pose. Alice clapped her hands in delight, cackled, and then took out a camera.

...That was how I became a baby model.

Although Renesmee put on her outfits diligently, she didn't have my enthusiasm. Instead, she rolled around on the floor.

 _So cute_.

Alice and Rosalie mainly swathed me in darker colors like green and blue. Renesmee wore purple and red. They were good colors on her. I learned that my eyes were green, and I inwardly preened at having such pretty colored eyes.

"Oh Alice," Esme commented, "Could you dress Carlie in this sailor dress next? It's _so darling."_

And that was how our afternoon went.

* * *

Within a few hours, the two little girls formed a deep bond that no one could understand.

Renesmee didn't need to use her gift on Carlie. Somehow, her twin just knew what Renesmee was saying. Edward who couldn't read Carlie's mind, was also left out of the loop. For Carlie who was as quiet as Renesmee, and silent as her mother, everyone fretted that they wouldn't know if something was wrong. With Edward and Alice's gift cancelled out, it was up Jasper to pay extra attention to Carlie. While the family trusted him, Jasper couldn't trust himself.

One mistake.

One mistake, one slip up, one wrong move would be enough to ruin everything. He screwed up momentously last time. It nearly killed his brother. He nearly lost his wife. He was weak, and Jasper hated his lack of control over himself. His animalistic tendencies reminded him too much of the Southern Blood Wars. He steeled himself. Alice's lack of sight made him especially nervous. The future can't repeat itself.

Although he loved the girls, he tried to stay away from them.

Downstairs, Edward and Alice were discussing about Bella.

"How much longer?" Edward asked.

"It won't be long now," Alice replied. "See how clear she's becoming. I can see her so much better." She sighed.

"Still bitter?"

His wife grumbled, "Thank you for reminding me of my failings. You would be mortified, too, if your realized you were handcuffed by your gift. I see vampires best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. But I can see these old half-breeds at all because they're nothing I've experienced. Bah!"

"Alice"

"Okay, okay! Right. Bella's easy to see now."

There was a pause, and Jasper felt the tension in the air. Everyone in the house, even Jacob, was listening onto their conversation.

"Could you concentrate for me? On the clock, give me an estimate-"

Alice sighed, "Impatient brother of mine. Hold on, give me a second."

Edward sighed out in relief.

"Thank you, Alice."

A few seconds later, Alice appeared at his side.

"Jasper," she said quietly.

He nodded. He had dealt with newborns more than anyone else. His experience would help if Bella lost control. As Jasper went downstairs to join the family, Rose and the werewolf were heading up the stairs. Carlie and Nessie were in their arms. Nessie was squirming in Jacob's arms, probably wanting to see her mama. That was all she asked for the past few hours. Carlie looked at him wide-eyed.

He smiled. Alice dressed them both in Southern sweetheart nightgowns. His mate was a sly one.

Carlie blushed, curling into Rose. Jasper marveled at his control. The blush did nothing to tempt his venom, the scent did not tempt him. They both had heartbeats, but he focused on their fragility rather their blood. Perhaps he could be near them without becoming a monster.

His thoughts were broken when he entered the living room. Emmett took place next to him. They would be the first defense if Bella lost control.

As Alice flittered across the room, Edward stood nervously over his mate.

When Bella's finally eyes snapped open, the entire family held its breath, waiting.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: That's a wrap, folks! If it wasn't apparent from the scene, Seth did not imprint on Carlie. Bella has transformed, and Renesmee is a pretty stubborn baby. I hope Carlie's POV was sassy enough.**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: It took awhile for this chapter to be updated. Much apologies. Love to all the reviews and people reading this. Thanks again for taking the time to read this! If you have any suggestions or things you want to see, feel free to leave a comment below!** **Anyway, most reviewers were wondering about Carlie's mate. While I do intend on Carlie having a love interest, this wouldn't happen until a few chapters later. No wolf imprinting. Maybe. That much I can say.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, especially the last few paragraphs at the end.**

* * *

Rosalie was ignoring Renesmee.

At first, it wasn't obvious, but when I saw Rosalie's lack of reaction to Renesmee, I realized something was wrong. Rosalie never stopped taking care of Renesmee and me. She was either changing our diapers, burping us, heating our milk bottles. She was just always there. For her to be oblivious was like the sign of an upcoming apocalypse

With a jerk, she hissed at Jacob, " _It's happening._ "

Jacob swore some obscenities - boy has a mouth on him - before picking me up hastily, taking hurried strides towards the McMansion. Renesmee picked up on the tension and asked Rosalie was was happening.

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," she said sweetly.

Oh, Rosalie, that white lie would have worked if it weren't for Alice frantically appearing next to her. They had exchanged a few mumbled words before Alice rushed up the stairs, leaving only a swish of the wind behind.

Bella had to be turning. It was the right timing, and would certainly explain the tension. Newborns were emotionally unstable and powerful. The Cullens were worried Bella would give-in to bloodlust. Her vampire body full of human blood, making it stronger than a family that survived on animal blood. If she wanted to sink her teeth into Renesmee or me, the Cullens might not be strong enough to stop her. For them, it was a terrifying thought. Little do they know she would be harmless. She loved her little "nudgers" too much. Already knowing the outcome, I rested languidly in the crook of Jacob's shoulder. Real stuff would go down later. First, the Cullens needed time to ensure Bella was stable.

Meanwhile, Jacob was busy lugging me up some seriously expensive mahogany stairs. We passed Jasper.

Of everyone, Jasper was the only vampire who hasn't spent time with Renesmee and me. Even Emmett, who could crush our heads with two fingers, played with us. Upon reflection, he was probably visiting so often under the guise of making sure Rosalie was okay. The vampire had stopped hunting to look after Bella. Imagine what she does when actual babies are around. It was a nice balance. She was devoted to us, and Emmett was devoted to her. Although he couldn't help with baby stuff, as self-proclaimed "Best Uncle," he stuffed our room with numerous toys. I think he got a kick out of Renesmee biting into stuffed animals.

It was surprising that Jasper was so distant. I knew in the books that he viewed vampire-hybrids as threats. He had sided with Team Edward against Team EJ. Unknowns were threats. If that was not the case, I guessed Alice sided with Edward, and Jasper would naturally side with be fair, we nearly caused a war break out between the Cullens and werewolves.

Carlisle was once described as Zeus's younger better-looking brother. If so, than Jasper Whitlock was a combination of Ares's bloodlust and Apollo's charisma. Not only was the man a Major in the military, but also incredibly charismatic. From a strictly aesthetic view, and I mean a strictly aesthetic view, Jasper was hunky. Unlike the ridiculous hairstyles in the movies, Jasper had none of those awful limpet curls. He had well-styled short blonde hair, courtesy of Alice. Body shop half rugged and muscular, Jasper was a nice mix between Texan Cowboy slash Southern Gentleman. Alice, you lucky dog.

So, it shouldn't be surprising that when our eyes met, _I swooned_. I swooned like the pretty hybrid princess I was, and never felt so mortified before. The Texan Cowboy/Southern Gentleman smiled all twinkly, and I just melted. Melted!

Argh, I'm going to go shrivel up and die now. Being a baby, I just clung to Jacob more.

* * *

Once learning that Bella existed, Renesmee demanded to see Mom. She pouted at Rosalie cutely, who did nothing but press her perfect lips together tightly. She tugged at Jacob's sleeve, insisting on going downstairs. He too refused her.

Renesmee's soulful chocolate eyes were difficult to deny. When actually trying, the girl was absolutely _lethal_.

Jacob and Rosalie were pretty strong-willed in my opinion.

Given that Renesmee and I were pretty much spoiled, Renesmee was at an absolute loss of being denied something. Instead of throwing a tantrum like an average child, Renesmee became forlorn and withdrawn, refusing to play, barely eating.

"C'mon Nessie," Jacob tried, "you'll see her some other time."

Jacob was met with silence.

At one point, my sister curled up into a ball, and our caretakers decided to leave her alone to stew. From the window, I saw two figures streak across the features.

Bella and Edward.

Apparently, Rosalie and Jacob saw them too. Not that it was "safe," they got up to leave the room, most likely heating up our baby bottles.

Jacob nervously glanced back at Renesmee. Tired of his hovering, I imperiously waved him toward the door. He snorted, but awkwardly paused before leaving the room.

I inwardly sighed. I didn't understand the whole emotional upheaval about Bella. It wasn't like meeting Bella was a milestone in life. For Renesmee though, it was a big deal to her.

Renesmee likes to show-off memories she found significant to anyone around her. A recurring subject was about out mother. Of course, her only memory of Bella was just after giving birth. Not trying to be disrespectful, but the women looked an extra in a horror movie. At one point, I seriously wanted to tell Renesmee to stop showing me pictures of a poor woman who just pushed watermelons out of something a whole lot smaller.

A part of me was surprised by Renesmee's awareness. In principal, Rosalie and Jacob never mentioned Bella. Edward would play Bella's Lullaby for us, tell us stories about Mommy and Daddy, but never talked about Bella. I guess he wanted us to form an opinion by ourselves. For Renesmee, Bella was like the proverbial unicorn. She was some mythical creature that she chased after.

Me? I didn't believe in forming an emotional attachment to someone I never met. It's her job to love me, and not the other way around. Right?

A soft sniffle broke the silence.

 _Oh, Renesmee._

My tiny sister was crying from heartbreak. Granted, I expected this to happen much later. I felt something akin to protectiveness wash over me. A good two feet away from her, I hoisted myself on my knees. Placing my hands on the carpet, I tried to crawl towards her. I grimaced at the carpet burns.

When I reached her, I plopped myself down at her side. Renesmee's face was splotchy and red. As Renesmee looked at me, face leaking, I pressed my forehead against hers, hoping she would calm down.

I could tell she didn't understand what was happening. I smiled and tried to hum.

Since we were born, Edward awkwardly hovered. He would attempt to help Rosalie or Jacob, but eventually, give up on their perfectionist tendencies. He let them to their own thing. Mainly, he just tried to be there. At one point, when he begun playing the piano as entertainment, Renesmee formed a mechanical attachment to Bella's Lullaby. It was an enchanting song, one full of whimsical longing, and blossoming love. Renesmee adored it, and would demand Edward to replay the piece.

It was this piece that I banked on calming Renesmee down.

As I hummed, I knew I was making a mockery of the complicated arpeggios and trills. Still, I hoped my sister would appreciate the effort. From either exhaustion or the song, Renesmee's eyes drooped. I snuggled closer to her, and exhaled, voice huffing at the end.

* * *

Over the next few days that Edward and Bella were hunting, the Cullens entertained us more than usual. Perhaps they noticed Renesmee and I could handle greater stimulus than food and bodily fluids. Days trudged unusually slowly for us.

But at last, D-Day dawned upon us.

Bella and Edward made their appearance during the afternoon.

Renesmee and I were dressed in adorable clothes. My dark hair was pinned carefully to both sides of my head as if to form a barrier between my neck and someone's teeth.

While Jasper and Emmett hovered near Bella, Rosalie and Esme were several paces away. Esme held me while Rosalie held Renesmee.

Bella was...beautiful. There really was no way around it. For years, I pictured Bella as an average teenager meant to inspire hope for the masses. Kristen Stewart, whom I didn't know personally, always appeared to me as a tired, pouty, bohemian looking actress. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but this woman was clearly different. Looking at her face, I could easily spot similarities between her and me. It was one thing to know you're related, it's another to see visual proof. She and I were drawn from the same DNA pool. A strange feeling pooled in my stomach.

She was fluid in stillness, her eyes transfixed on Renesmee and me. Rosalie murmured something in the background, most likely reassuring Jacob. Something flickered across Bella's face.

Awe. Longing. She took a hesitant step forward.

Everything went to hell.

With a snarl, Jasper appeared in front of Bella. Emmett flexed menacingly, looking ready to tackle the women, which would be hilarious, if not absolutely _terrifying_. Even Edward moved quickly to restrain Bella. As Rosalie started backing away from the scene, Jacob looked ready to tear my sister from Rosalie's arms and run away.

Esme and I strangely stayed.

On the floor, Bella was shocked. Her eyes flickered from Renesmee far away, and me. She begun moving, trying to shake Jasper off. He snared again, pinning her with brute force. With desperation, she began tearing at him, eyes locked on me the entire time.

I felt chills at her desperation. Jasper's snarls increased.

Edward knelt down by Bella's side, soothing her.

"You're scaring Carlie," he murmured into her ear, "Please, love, Jasper is sensing you lose control."

I flinched when Bella made a horrible keening noise.

"Shh, it's okay," Edward consoled, "we'll try again."

Bella didn't respond, her face etched in misery. She nodded jerkily at one point, turning away to face away from us.

Seeing her anguished face, my stomach clenched. Standing a few feet away was a _mother_. This was a woman who wished to die but chooses to live for her children. _This was a woman who had died for her children._ Yet, with just a murmured phrase, she just gave up. There was a look of utter defeat in her eyes as if someone ripped away her will to live. I had seen that look on some veterans who had returned home, only to be disillusioned with what home was.

Bella clung to Edward like a life line, resolutely walking away from us.

I don't know what changed on the hunting trip, or what changed in general. Was the existence of Carlie Cullen that big of change? The Cullens probably told Bella about the increased temptation and risk, explained how more emotionally compromised she was. How she was a danger, and one mistake would be enough to kill Renesmee and me.

And Bella, the insufferable martyr, would believe them. She would leave her daughters alone at her own suffering because she thought she was dangerous. Then she would brood with Edward.

I didn't think about what I did next.

Rolling my tongue around nervously, I hesitantly opened my mouth.

"Mama"

Everyone stilled, and Bella whirled around, almost twenty feet away. Her face was disbelieving.

I repeated myself.

 _"Mama"_

Bella walked steadily back to us, holding onto Edward still. My father's face grimaced a little but allowed Bella to use him as support.

When she finally came close again, Jasper and Emmett placed themselves in front of Esme. Ugh, the Honor Guard was sweet, but also in the way. Before I decided to break out actual sentences, Alice finally spoke.

"Jazz, Bella is in control. This isn't anything you have ever seen before," she said quietly, "trust me."

I could hear Jasper's teeth audibly grind together. Looking at Alice, she nodded, and he tentatively stepped away.

When Esme held me out, Bella's hands were almost shaking as she reached out.

Something in me clicked into place at that moment. The sound of her voice, the familiarity of her eyes, the way she seemed joyous at this reunion. All of it wove together into a natural pattern as she crossed the air between us. Suddenly, she was absolutely real, and, of course, I knew her. It seemed almost entirely ordinary for me to reach out, latching my arms around her neck.

"Mama," I said into her neck.

Her breath hitched, voice trembled as she spoke.

"Hi Carlie," Bella whispered, "sorry I'm late." At some point, Rosalie and Jacob would appear, bringing Renesmee with them. Bella would hold Renesmee, freak over Jacob's imprint, and then attack him.

But before that happened, I rested in my mother's arms, feeling more content than I had in a long time.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Tada! Carlie has sorta accepted Bella has her mother. I hope the scene was believable enough. The next few chapters will be Renesmee + Carlie growing up to toddler. What on earth should we cover? Hobbies for Carlie to pick up? She's going to be a BAMF chess player, but it would take some long days with Jasper and Edward to get that good.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hanna & lostfeather1: **It's here. ;)

 **JBebe:** Lols, I agree. If vampires can't cry, how can male vampires reproduce? Stephanie Meyer is a Mormon though, and she admits her religious values played a role in Twilight. Regardless, thanks for enjoying my work!

 **To Counting Sinful Stars & ShigureAyameHatoriFanClub**: Carlie and Jasper. While hilarious to write, Carlie really _really_ shouldn't become a homewrecker. *Carlie looks shifty-eyed* Kudos to the shipping, but Alice+Jasper are 4ever. Besides, wouldn't it be entertaining to watch Carlie's potentially ridiculous love life unfold?

 _Thanks to all the people who are reading, or reviewing this book! I love you all. :D_

 **AN: Remember how I said this chapter would be about Renesmee and Carlie growing up? Looking at Breaking Dawn, I realized I forgot a crucial piece before the time skip to Irina. SO, before we jump into Renesmee and Carlie functioning as human beings, let us address a certain issue:**

 **Charlie**

* * *

When the entryway door opened, Bella handed me to Esme. Apparently, she needed her hands-free to tear off Jacob's head.

Again.

It must have been raining farther since Jacob came through the door shaking his wet hair like a dog, flipping droplets on the carpet, and the couch where they made little round gray spots on the white. His teeth glinted in his dark lights; his eyes were bright and excited.

"Hey guys," he greeted us, almost bouncing on his feet.

Behind Jacob, Leah and Seth stiffened at the silence. Both of them sensed the palpable tension in the air, shifting uneasily.

Not quite understanding the situation, Jacob blathered on, "Just a heads-up, Charlie will be here soon. I suppose Alice is getting you some sunglasses or something?"

"You assume way too much," Bella seethed angrily, " What is wrong with you, Jacob? Do you realize what you've done?

Jacob imperiously raised an eyebrow. I decided that my future shovel talk with Jacob was never going to happen because _Bella was going to kill him first._

"Don't you have supernatural self-control? Not as exciting as mind reading, though."

Edward entered the room, eyes dark. _Black._ His fingers flexed as if resisting the urge not to jump Jacob. Taken aback by Edward's anger, Jacob leaned away from Edward. Considering Jacob and Edward's long history of hatred, Edward must have reached an all-time high.

He towered over Jacob as if daring him to speak out.

"Listen carefully, you mongrel. I haven't killed you, because, for some reason, my family believes we owe a debt to you."

"In my absence, you kept my better half safe. Admittedly, poorly, but you tried nonetheless. Through imprinting on Renesmee, you have prevented a war from breaking out with Sam's pack. Although, you were the one to inform them."

"You knew what was happening, are you seriously going to-"

Edward cut him off.

"To you, we are monsters. We may try to act human, but our entire existence appalls you. If it weren't for Renesmee, Bella too would be a monster to you. You think she has exceptional control? Even Carlisle in his three hundred years has never seen anything like it. We are a gambling family," Edward's tone was unusually dry at this point, "And my Bella is many things, but even I wouldn't bet on her having unparalleled self-control. Bella was very close to killing the hikers. We all make mistakes, and I will love Bella after her slip-ups, but can you? Can you still care for my girls if they make a mistake. If they slip, end a human life?'

Edward turned away from Jacob as if dismissing the importance of his existence. He held Bella in his arms.

Edward's voice became very very quiet as he murmured into Bella's hair.

"I don't think you can, but you risk our tenuous relationship with something as frivolous as distance. You are gambling Jacob, with odds bearing against you. Because of you, Bella will be struggling with the animal inside her. Because of you, Charlie could die. Because of you, my family could lose everything. Of course, if your plan was to sweep your imprint from a den of monsters, then it was quite ingenious."

"I-I wasn't thinking like that."

Jacob looked lost. He was the boy who stuck his hands into the cookie jar, only to find a snake lying inside. At his desolate demeanor, it was evident he had not intentions of ruining the Cullens. It's easy to forget that Jacob was only sixteen. At sixteen, I dare say most teens don't think. They do.

"You should have stopped me."

Edward snapped back at him, "You should have asked."

At his words, Jacob became quiet, head faced down. After a few bouts of intense silence, Bella broke up the guilt-laden atmosphere.

"Enough. It's already happened. We need to figure out what's next. What did you do?"

Edward hissed in response, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He phased in front of Charlie."

Bella became very still.

" _What."_

"Okay," Jacob said pleadingly, "looking back, not the best idea."

"Not the _best idea_? _"_

Jacob tried to salvage the situation, "When I started explaining about werewolves, Charlie's main request was to be told as little possible. Need to know."

"And the girls?" Bella asked.

He shrugged, "told them you have two new mouths to feed."

At the lack of reaction from Bella or Edward, Jacob sagged in relief.

"Still friends?" he asked.

Bella confirmed with a disgruntled tone, and Alice came back into the living room. Her delicate face was pinched with frustration.

"I need to see. Bella, you need to move away from Carlie and Renesmee if we're going to make this work."

I sighed, and Esme soothed me. With Jacob now holding Renesmee, we all moved to the left side of the room, leaving everyone else to give a crash course on acting human. Between watching Bella practice blinking, fidgeting, and brushing her hair, I glanced around the room for something more interesting.

Nearby, Edward was speaking to Carlisle.

"...not sure if Charlie should see Carlie," Edward began, "she looks too much like her mother. It wouldn't be hard to connect the dots. Too many questions, and we won't have enough answers."

Carlisle nodded his head in agreement, "Still, Renesmee has her mother's eyes. It wouldn't be difficult to see the similarity either."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Edward grounded out frustratedly.

"Introduce them as your daughters. It wouldn't do well to lie to Charlie. His "need to know" policy shouldn't cover _how_ " Carlisle suggested.

Bella soon asked for us, and Alice graciously allowed our mother to hold us. Edward ended his conversation from Carlisle, and sat down next to Bella, taking me into his arms. Renesmee was with Bella. He looked at us seriously before addressing us.

"Carlie. Renesmee. Someone special is coming to see you and mother," he explained gravely, "But he isn't like us, or even like Jacob. Renesmee, you shouldn't tell him things the way you tell us."

Renesmee looked at him curiously, placing a hand on his face.

Edward nodded seriously, "Yes. He's also going to make you thirsty. You mustn't bite him. He won't heal like Jacob." Soon it was my turn, and Edward turned to me.

"Carlie, avoid speaking if you can help it."

Right. Don't freak out the human with my unnaturally advanced verbal ability. I nodded in acknowledgment. Edward gave me a tiny smile.

"Here are our daughters, Carlie, and Renesmee," Edward introduced smoothly.

Charlie took one look at me, and his mouth dropped open. He glanced at Renesmee and saw her chocolate eyes, a carbon copy of Bella's. For a nondescript-looking man, Charlie was good at piecing information together. Looking at him, he was visibly trying to understand how Bella managed to fit nine months into one. The evidence was obviously not computing correctly, and his eyes flickered at me to Bella to Renesmee in rapid succession.

Jacob thankfully interrupted the man's mental breakdown and patted Charlie's back comfortingly.

"Need to know, Charlie."

Charlie swallowed with difficulty, his head bobbing in agreement. Edward didn't even bother with coming up with an explanation this time. After all, one look at me, and the truth seemed pretty obvious. Charlie looked at Bella, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Stomach bug, huh?"

Bella grimaced, "Carlisle didn't even think I would make it." She looked at Renesmee and me meaningfully, "The situation was unheard of, but I wanted to see the process through."

"I know," Charlie began hesitantly, "that after your mom had left, you didn't really view me as a father."

Bella opened her mouth to protest, "Charlie-"

"-But you were always my little girl. So know that I understand what parents do for their children. Now that you have your own to take care of, I want you to know I only want the best for you."

Bella's eyes were glassy, and she nodded.

"I can't promise to tell you everything, but I'll never cut you off."

Charlie smiled sadly, "that's all I can ask for."

In the end, Charlie stayed the rest of the afternoon trading tips and stories about child rearing. A man was a lot of things, but football _did not_ distract a man's concern for their child. Being the only person actually to raise a kid, Bella and Edward were hanging on to every world of Charlie' parenting guidance. that Charlie was out of the loop for so long, he relished in being the knowledgable one.

"Moderation. You can't give the girls everything they want. Either they work for it, or they get nothing at all," he patiently explained.

"They shouldn't want for anything," Bella interjected.

"Well yes," Charlie nodded, "but when it's something like new toys or bedtime curfew you can't give in all the time. Consistency is necessary sometimes."

When Edward nodded in grave understanding, I nearly snorted. Bella broke curfew _all the time_ , and Edward was such an enabler. Speaking of new toys, Edward also had no concept of too much. The man bought a _missile-proof car_ for Bella because she was too clumsy. He gave diamonds the sizes of golf balls as random presents. The man had no limit. These newly found rules would simply fly over him.

At some point, the conversation turned to a lighter point.

"So, Renesmee and Carlie?" Charlie asked in inquiry.

"After Renee and Esme, you and Carlisle," Bella replied cooly. She hadn't been taking Renesmee's new nickname very well. To her, Renesmee and Carlie were perfectly acceptable names.

Charlie was quiet, "You named your kid after me."

"Dad, you do mean a lot to me. I know I don't show it, but I do love you." Bella looked embarrassed at saying something so emotional.

Charlie kissed the top of her head. Bending down, he kissed Renesmee's head before kissing mine.

"You're going to be the death of me, yet I can't help but love all my girls," he sighed.

"Not Edward?" Bella teased.

"Damn boy," Charlie grumbled, "should have shot him when I had the chance. Knew he did something before you got married."

I nearly choked. So _that's_ how Charlie explained it to himself. Well, I wasn't going to be the one to tell otherwise.

Edward smiled crookedly, and Bella laughed, her voice ringing like clear bells.

Charlie checked his phone, and got up from his seat, "Guess I should be going. Sue's cooking dinner for Billy and me tonight. I'm almost late."

Bella leaned in to hug him. Edward shifted Renesmee into Charlie's arms; Charlie hugged my sister tightly before handing her back. As Bella put me into grandpa's arms, I placed my arms around Charlie's neck and gave him a little squeeze in return.

"Love you, kid," Charlie said softly.

I smiled in return. When his face softened, I leaned in to give a quick kiss on his cheek. Edward said no talking, but hugs and kisses were fine, right?

Charlie laughed dazedly, "Looks like you got a heartbreaker in this one!"

Bella took me into her arms, "I'm going to keep this one as long as possible," she shot a venomous glare at Jacob, "No _moronic claim_ will take her away."

"Oh Bella, we both know that's not how it works."

Despite the underlying bitterness in his words, he shook Edward's hand before heading toward the door. As the Cullens gathered to send him off, Charlie nodded his thanks in return. Soon later, the police cruiser rolled away, and everyone gave a sigh of relief.

* * *

It had taken six weeks before the Cullens allowed me to wander alone.

Three weeks after Charlie, Renesmee took her first steps after Alice. Sensing a good opportunity, I toddled after Renesmee.

The Cullens still hovered over us, but we were allowed considerable more freedom afterward. Although we could walk and talk like normal human beings, no one expected us to do anything. As a result, we had a lot of free time. Renesmee entertained herself with Jacob, and while they were happy to include me, I was effectively chaperoning my sister's first few dates. While their relationship hasn't progressed there, I could never quite forget the implications of the imprint. So cute, sugar practically oozed from them.

And that was just disturbing.

Order of activities, I tried to pick up some hobbies to fill the void.

...And that was how I picked up a magnetic chessboard and brought it to Jasper and Alice's room.

"Can you teach me how to play chess, Uncle Jasper?" I asked cutely, cocking my head up to see him.

"Carlie," he began, kneeling down to face me, "I don't think that's a good idea?"

"Why?" I pouted.

He hesitated, probably trying to explain his need to stay away, "Your father is better at playing chess."

Ohh, Uncle Jasper, you're such a liar.

"But Uncle Emmet says Papa cheats. Mama says cheating is bad," I explained.

Jasper smiles wryly, "Your father can't exactly help himself."

Bingo.

"Aunt Alice says you're the best at stra-te-gy," I said, trying to enunciate the words properly, "and papa can read minds, so that's how he wins. But mama says I'm like mama, and papa can't see me. I want to beat Papa, Uncle Jasper!"

He feigned a hand to his chest.

"So I'm being used."

I patted Jasper, noting how he didn't flinch from my warmth, "It's okay, Uncle Jasper. As your pro-te-ge, I'll beat Papa for you."

"..."

"Please?" I asked, making my eyes as big as possible.

Jasper laughed softly, surprising me.

"Carlie, you look like a goldfish."

Damn it. Cuteness factor has failed.

Jasper stood back up.

"But, if my niece is going to resort to manipulation, who am I deny her?"

I beamed in response. Raising my pinky, I demanded imperiously.

"Pinky promise!"

"Pinky promise," he agreed, cold finger curling against mine.

Sucess! I was going to learn how to be a chess master!

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Originally, I was going to cover a Carlie bonding moment with Rosalie. Renesmee after all dropped Rosalie like last season's purse. Somehow, it became a Charlie moment instead. Next chapter, we should be entering the good stuff. ;)**


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: Apologies for the abnormally late update. The thrill of writing & writing & writing died when life decided to get in the way. This chapter will be shorter than usual, because I wanted to get this off my computer ASAP before I succumb the evil of finals week.**

 **Again, kudos to all the readers and reviewers. Your support has been amazing.**

 **And now: _Sugar Explosion Ignite._**

* * *

Bella watched the scene before her with amusement.

Carlie was on our belly, hands under her chin while her elbows digged in the floor The little girl was utterly adorable, nose scrunched up while scowling at the chessboard in front of her with absolute a tiny finger, Carlie touched the top of one of the pieces, readying to move it. Bella could see the resolve in her eyes. The bishop left the board, travelling diagnoally to take a pawn-

"No!" Carlie hissed out, placing the bishop back in it's original place.

She glared at her opponent accusingly.

Jasper smiled back, the very picture of innocence.

Carlie scowled, and Bella mused how much her baby girl looked like Edward. Finally making a decision, Carlie took one of the chess pieces, a different one from before, and moved it.

Languidly, Jasper moved his knight

"Checkmate"

* * *

I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall.

It's been a learning so process. The first few days of lessons covered usage of pieces and going over the basic rules. For someone who already knows the basic rules of chess, it was pretty boring. I expected Jasper to teach some strategy or opening moves to win. Instead, he was very zen about the whole learning through experience thing. Which, in my opinion, is a nice way to say: _hahahah, nice try, but go figure out badass moves to win yourself._

So the minute we actually started playing, Uncle Jasper kicked my butt three ways to Sunday. He didn't coddle or try to ease me into chess. The first match, he blindsided me in ten minutes, and I was surprised at the ease which he won. Determined to win, I played the next match with the entirety of my concentration.

Six months, not once have I won.

Forget everything Eclipse ever wrote about Jasper. He was not some misguided poor man who fell for dastardly vampires wiles. He was a sadist, an evil evil man who delighted in crushing the spirit of the young. He was the doting grandparent that felt no need to "go easy" on fresh meat. He felt the need to break people in, and that meant going all out all the time.

I had plans, dear reader, plans to obtain mad chess skills and rule the world under my benevolent thumb. Those plans were ruined.

Story of life, I suppose.

Realizing I have been defeated yet again, I flopped on my belly, resisting the urge to curl up into a ball and just wither away.

"Uncle Jasper, I'm never going to beat you," I groaned.

"Carlie," he began placidly, already rearranging the pieces back to their original state, "I have years ahead of you. You're going to become better"

He leaned forward, his voice coaxing, but also firm.

"But first, we need to go over your strategy. You got reckless at the end."

My face scrunched up. _Ugh._

No one likes to discuss their mistakes. It's like picking a painful scab over and over again until it heals.. Looking at Jasper's determined face, I knew I wasn't going to get out lecture time. Jasper was a firm believer in understanding _what_ and _why_ something happened. It was the most important part of learning.

Sighing, I pulled out my "How to Play Chess" notebook.

 _Rule Number One: Look like a confident BAMF._

* * *

Grumbling, I made my way downstairs to our kitchen.

For vampires who don't eat, the Cullens had a beautiful kitchen. It was light and airy room, nothing like the monochrome monstrosity I'd seen before. Since Renesmee and I were born, the room was slowly filled with our momentos. On the double-door fridge was a drawing Renesmee scribbled onto a piece of paper. Although we were both advanced, my dear sister's first piece of artwork took a leaf from the abstract movement. Her drawing was nothing but a few circular scrawls in different colors. I still remembered her chubby face presenting it to the rest of the family.

Jacob, being the supporting imprint he was, clapped furiously.

If possible, the rest of the family tilted their heads at the art work.

"Well," Esme said brightly, "it looks very similar to Wassily Kandinsky's earlier work"

Emmett scrutinized the painting, "Dunno, I thought Kandinsky had more triangles in his art."

Rosalie looked at her husband sweetly, "What do you mean, sweetie?"

 _Ohh in the dog house._

…

"Looks awesome, squirt. Keep up the good work."

Rosalie turned away, satisfied with his answer. Since Edward held me, I could only muffle my laughter into his shoulder.

"Do I want to know?" Edward murmured into my ear.

"Papa," I gasped, struggling to get air to my lungs, "It's a portrait of you."

Renesmee beamed, "Papa's everywhere!"

...And that took an entire afternoon of explaining to Renesmee that while Edward could read everyone's mind, was sorta all knowing, he wasn't everywhere. Though in reflection, if he knew what was going on everywhere, than his presence was everywhere. So metaphysically, he was sorta everywhere? That stumped everyone for awhile. Good old Renesmee, bringing up philosophical issues at a year old.

Aah, good memories. In the kitchen, I poured myself a tall glass of Old Fashioned Chocolate Milk. Renesmee and Jacob were both seated near one of the countertops, bent over some sort of card game.

"So...you lost to Uncle Jasper again," Renesmee commented idly.

I sent a Hurt & Betrayed look at my traitorous sister.

"How could you, dear sister?" I gasped, raising my hand to my heart, "Do you not believe in my capabilities?"

Without a beat, my sister glanced up from her cards, and frowned up at me, "Sorry, it's just Uncle Jasper won all of your matches so far."

The past few days, Renesmee has been my disposal bin for emotional trauma and denial. I sunk into the seat next to her.

"He did win," I confessed.

Renesmee's eyes furrowed She patted me confidently,

 _You'll beat him one day._

Jacob mumbled something under his breath, and Renesmee glared at him. The werewolf fell back into silence, burying his face back into his cards.

 _Whipped._ Renesmee smirked next to me.

Watching them play the next few minutes, Renesmee became hungry soon, and jumped from her stool. She placed her hand on my arm.

 _We're going hunting. Do you want to come?_

I shook my head, face scrunching up at the idea of going on one of their love escapades. You would think hunting and drinking blood with be a horror movie. Renesmee hated getting dirty, and Jacob's bloodied state was no pretty picture. Yet, Jacob and Renesmee chased each other around, tag-teaming the dears, splashing water against each other...

Bella trailed downstairs, intending on "chaperoning". She kissed my forehead, and gave me a little squeeze.

"Love you, Carlie"

"Love you, Mama," the words falling effortlessly from my lips.

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing dress-up with Alice swathed in different outfits and styles.

Alice's enthusiasm and intelligence of the fashion industry was stunning. She knew the trends, the lines, the major and upcoming designers. With Renesmee and I growing, Alice would keep some of our favorite outfits (the ones we frequently wore and liked) and would recreate the pieces by hand. That way, we could continue to wear our favorite clothes. Of course, her inner artist would sometimes play with the stitching, fabric, or color.

In those moment she would glow.

Her hands would glide over the bolts of fabric stashed in her work room. She would design, measure, create all in one breath. There was always something new to study: the intricacy of lace, the softness of silk. Her favorite activity by far was creating outfits. She would spend minutes-hours for humans-and match accessories to dresses.

"Designing," she explained, "is not something you can predict. I can see all the possibilities, the flickerings of decision, but never the final product. People change their minds so quickly with fashion, so I never know."

She laughed softly, "It's nice to not know sometimes. To be surprised," and at this, she gestured at the mannequin, "but satisfied with the result."

In those moments, I felt that Alice was not merely fashion obsessed, but also serious about what she did. She wasn't swayed by the "hottest new trend". The Cullens were from a different time, and their clothes were a reflection modesty and conservatism. For all of Rosalie's ostentatiousness, she never wore sequins, glitter, or beads. She pushed the limits of necklines, displaying her fine ta-ta's in dresses, but never shortened her skirt length dangerously.

It saddened me that Alice could never be part of the scene she was so immersed in. The fashion industry was a showy business. Alice was phenomenal and extremely talented. With her dedication and lack of sleep, she would soar the top of the fashion industry. But fame would bring unwanted attention to the Cullens.

I spend the rest of the day trying on different outfits. Alice furiously took photos. Jasper sat on the couch, content with watching us flit around. With great sass, I twirled around in my babydoll dress.

"My good sir, what do you think?"

"Your daddy's gonna need to buy a shotgun" Jasper drawled.

I blushed, and Alice's tinkling laughter rang out.

At some point, I started picking out outfits for Alice. While some of the pieces clashed, Alice simply beamed and put them on. Alice looked so sweet and beautiful in a soft eyelet spring dress.

Alice curtised to Japser and me. Without a word, Jasper bowed, his hand raised in invitation. She tooks his hand, and two of them began dancing, foreheads touching, and utterly lost in each other. It was a sweet moment, the sort of moment that made my heart swell a little. I rested against one of the chairs, content with watching them glide across the room.

* * *

Rosalie hummed as she braided Renesmee's hair.

Jacob, Bella, and Renesmee had already returned a few days ago. My sister was busy reading Tennyson, the nerd she was, and I was brushing up on my chessboard strategies.

 _Castle: Switching Rook and King._

"Girls, stay in here"

Rosalie vanished with a blur, and if I felt a hand on my arm. What's going on? I shook my head, grimacing to my sister. Her lips pursed, and she slouched against me.

It's going to be okay.

I felt laughter bubbling inside my hysterically. Here was my baby sister, who had no idea what was going to happen, and she was trying to comfort me. Overwhelmed, I hugged this darling creature. Renesmee let out a little meep, but succumbed to my onslaught of hugs and feathery kisses. I tried to push down my fear, knowing that Alice finally had received her vision. It was going to be okay, I knew it was going to be okay.

It has to.

* * *

 **...And Cut. Yup, I just left a clift hanger. Sorry not sorry? Oh well, all the feels next chapter, and _maybe, just maybe_ , we shall discover what Carlie's power is. ;)**


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: This chapter is longer, but large bulks of the dialogue is taken from Breaking Dawn. I'm a little nervous because I'm not nearly as enthusiastic writing this as I was a few months ago. I hope my writing didn't go to complete trash. If it did, you'll tell me, won't you? *wink wink nudge nudge***

 **As emotionally draining as writing this is, I will try my best to never abandon this work. I believe in finishing things we start. Know that your reviews and enthusiasm goes a long way.** **In less than three hours I hit 200 viewers for the chapter five. You guys rock.** **Seriously. Ugh, okay, your enthusiasm has infected me, and so I am, churning out another chapter.**

 **All the feels, team, all the feels.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Twilight Saga.**

* * *

"It's time to go to bed, Renesmee."

Looking up from her _Anthology of English Poems,_ Renesmee pouted at her mother's hovering hands about to take her book away. She clutched to Tennyson a little more, eyes pleading to her mother. It was a familiar sight, a child in love with fantastical pictures and the printed language before bedtime. Like any parent, Bella felt conflicted with her priorities. Renesmee needed to go to bed, but she wanted to read. Entering the era of technology, it was so damningly hard for kids to _willingly_ read. She remembers her high school classmates, and she didn't want to discourage Renesmee's behavior in the beginning of her development.

Giving in, Bella sat down, "Just five more pages. Don't think I'm not counting."

Renesmee nodded eagerly, nerd she was, and began to read out loud the beauty of falling rain.

Across the room, Edward tucked their youngest one into bed. Unlike her bookworm sister, Carlie was a hyperactive child, constantly seeking thrilling and exotic activities. Oh, she could be thoughtful and quiet when she wanted to, but she was a trickster at heart. Edward honestly didn't know where she got it from. He considered himself an introverted and reserved, more likely to listen then speak. God knows how social Bella was. It was fascinating to watch their little bundle grow into this creature. She had a budding humor so dry it left everyone reeling. She blushed like Bella and would smile crookedly like him. She was such a mixture of him and Bella, he felt entranced with watching everything she did.

Alas, their playful one was besotted with the fluffiness of her stuffed animals, squeezing them rather alarmingly around the neck. Carlie stifled a yawn against her octopus, and Edward had to hide a smile at the alarmingly cute picture it made. He carefully extracted the toy away and fixed her blankets just the way he likes them. Her soft breathing soothes some of his fears, _she's okay_ , and they were going to keep it that way. His girls are unaware of the oncoming conflict, unaware that their Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice disappeared into the night, unaware that the Volturi wanted to _kill them all_. Perhaps he didn't have a soul, but by God was he not going to let his girls be aware of just how bad the situation was. His greatest priority was covering up Jasper and Alice's disappearance.

Carlie would be devastated.

She was so close to Jasper and Alice, spending all her free time playing chess or dress-up with Alice. Edward feels a little resentful at the vampires he considered siblings. They stood with the family of James, they fought against a vampire army, but they flee when they most need them. He supposes that their previous encounters were not life threatening. Against newborns and one lone vampire, the Cullens were favored to win. Against the Volturi, the odds were stacked against them. Alice who could see thousands of future possibilities ran away. It did not bode well for morale that Alice could not find even one scenario that led to their victory. It was why she took Jasper and ran. Edward couldn't blame them for wanting to escape death, but feels the despair all the same. The odds truly are stacked against him.

He feels helpless and a little angry - a feeling that he has become used to when dealing with the Swan girls.

 _His fault_ , he thinks soberly.

His fault he was going to lose everything. His fault his family was going to pay the price. His fault for falling in love with a human girl, _how did he think that was going to work anyway_ , _everyone knew-_

"Papa," Carlie says, interrupting his thoughts, "Are you okay?"

He jerks to reality, to Carlie's arms clinging around his neck. _Little monkey,_ Emmett teased her. His daughter's eyes are boring into his, unwavering. Edward scowled inwardly, pushing the darkness away. It would do no good to let Carlie see his troubles.

"So perceptive," he murmurs, removing Carlie from his neck, "Papa is fine. He is just worried, that's all."

"Did you do something wrong?"

Edward tenses at the innocent question. Did he? Was it wrong to love Bella? Was it wrong to have their little girls? A guilty part of him wants to say yes, all the upheavals in their lives were because of him and Bella. While he regrets this damningly depressing future, he cannot say he regrets the existence of his children.

"No," he finally says, letting go of his grief, "I did something unexpected, an accident, but it wasn't a mistake."

Carlie tilts her head, evidently confused by his words, but Bella seems to understand. She smiles at him rather smugly, reminding him of the days where he practically begged her to abort the children. _Told you so._ And honestly, he could have never predicted this result. He has two beautiful girls, and nothing could be better. He flashes her favorite smile, the crooked one, and she ducks her face, a reflex of trying to hide from his ability to "dazzle people." Carlie sighed in the distance, unimpressed with her parent's flirting antics. Were they flirting? Given Bella's hidden smile, they totally were.

Edward skillfully maneuvers his daughter back into the covers, "Get some sleep, Carlie, your mother and I will be here in the morning."

She yawns again, nodding in agreement.

"Papa, I want waffles"

Closing her eyes, she barely missed Edward's smile.

* * *

Carlisle rubbed his eyes in distress. While he didn't need to, it was a common human reflex he ingrained into his habits to appear more human. It's become a sort of comforting gesture. In the dead of night, the Cullen family was using their inability to sleep to prepare for the next few hours. They needed to reach as many vampires as possible to help them face off against the Volturi.

Esme was busy packing everyone's clothing. With Alice gone, Esme was the one to pack inconspicuous full body outfits to hide them from the sun. It was quite a feat, but she would always to figure out some way. For a long time, Esme carried a gloriously large umbrella to prevent the sun's ray from penetrating.

Emmet was working to arrange transportation. While Carlisle hated to abuse their wealth for a private jet, the situation demanded them to be discreet and fast. Trying to work airport security and flight itinerary would be a nightmare. Vampires tended to be nomads, and nomads tended to move a lot. Admittedly, they would be on foot after flying to the right continent.

Rose was working with him through their contact list. Through his three hundred-year-old existence, he has come across hundreds of vampires. Some, he knows, would rather kill him then side against the Volturi. They needed to be careful in deciding who to approach, who would listen to reason. Their alliance with the werewolves also had to be taken into consideration. Their future alliances would have to be understanding regarding dietary restrictions. They couldn't feed in the surroundings area. It would be unreasonable to ask them to forego human blood altogether, Carlisle prayed the werewolves would try to compromise. His unfortunate tendency to look at the best in people led Rose to work with him. Her fierce protective instincts, brutal honesty, and nitpicky personality shortened their list significantly. All they needed was to determine _where they were_. For vampires that never stayed in one place...it was going to be difficult.

For the nth time, Carlisle wished coffee had an effect on him.

* * *

Esme woke us up the next morning, our clothes all picked out, and toothbrushes with paste already on them.

"We need to hurry, girls."

With her help, we were out the door rather quickly and walking to the Cullen main house. Jacob was waiting for us with a stack of waffles and eggs. Pouring us our respective glasses of milk, I munched on my waffles with strawberry toppings as Renesmee chugged down her milk quickly. Twisting her face at the taste, she stuffed her face eggs to kill the taste. Even after all these months, my sister hated her lactose. Esme, the grandmother she is, kept piling our plates with more food.

Renesmee and I were bloated by the end.

Esme looked at us, wringing her hand in concern.

"Girls, we won't be home for a few weeks."

Looking around me, I realized the Cullens were not idle when we are sleeping. Separated from them for one night, and they were all ready to leave. Rose had switched from silk wrap dress for sturdy jeans and running shoes. She had a hitchhiker backpack reading to do. Esme They were clearly going to leave very soon.

Edward voice broke me from my reverie, "We're going to stay here?" He was clearly unhappy with the decision.

"Alice's last instructions were to show Renesmee discreetly. It's critical to be careful," Carlisle explained, "We'll send everyone here we can find back here. Edward, you have to be here. You're the best chance for fielding that particular minefield."

Unhappy but understanding, Edward tilted his head in understanding, "It just seems like you have a lot of ground to cover."

Understanding that Edward felt like he was being useless, Carlisle attempted to reassure him. "The challenge is when they get here. You're going to have your hands full. Tanya's coven will be here in the morning, and they have no idea why. You have to persuade them to not react like Irina. What did Alice mean about Elezar? Will they stay to for witness for us? Their coven has been friends with us for decades." _If they don't say yes, who will_ , was the unspoken question. Carlisle sighed, "In reality, your job is the hardest. We'll be back to help as soon as we can."

Carlisle put his hand reassuringly on Edward's shoulder and kissed Bella's head. I reached out my arms to be picked up. His eyes softened and he reached out from my cushioned chair. Carlisle didn't say anything but bounce me a few times before I kissed his cheek. He smiled fondly before placing me in Esme's arms. Esme gripped a little tightly, her face pressed into my neck. It felt like she was shaking from emotion, but I couldn't be too sure. Rosalie held me next, telling me to be a good girl for my parents. Emmett didn't hold me, but he did leave me a rather provoking phrase.

"Try not to raise hell, squirt"

I grinned in response.

"Challenge accepted."

He tried to send me a disapproving look, but his wagging eyebrows gave him away. I laughed and waved him goodbye.

"Good luck," Edward told them, Renesmee and Bella already had their parting exchanges.

"And to you," Carlisle acknowledged, "We all need it."

We watched them walk down the house sidewalk at a human pace. It was only until they reached the black asphalt did they break-out into vampire speed. Renesmee twisted in Jacob's arms, reaching to his face. As he murmurs his reassurances, I couldn't help but wonder what the next few months for us. Edward and Jacob hashed out the details for the incoming vampires and Jacob's werewolves. The werewolves would have to deal with the vampire's feeding habits, unhappy as Jacob was.

Renesmee and I sat on the living couch, my fingers playing with her hair. She reached out to me, clutching my hand.

She showed me my face, Bella's, Edward's, Jacob's, Rose's, Esme's, Carlisle's, Charlie's, Alice's Jaspers, flipping through their faces so quickly it became a blur. Over and over again. She was scared. Worried.

 _What's going to happen?_

All I remembered was Renesmee's meetings with the covens, some brief interactions with the vampires, and Bella's quest for J. I didn't know what the next few weeks meant for us. All I knew was that Renesmee became some type of freak show. They used her gift to convince the vampires of her mortality. She served as proof that she grew. Any vampire could witness the results. While Bella was running around and thinking, I knew Renesmee was entertained by Jacob, the Cullens, and some of the more friendly vampires. With my existence, how much would change?

 _What are we going to do?_

I could see Edward tense in the distance. He clearly didn't want us doing anything. At my withdrawn silence, Renesmee hugged me fiercely, as if trying to reassure _me_ for my insecurity.

 _I miss Aunt Alice. She always knows what to do._

Yeah, I miss her too.

* * *

The next day, Bella shook me gently awake.

"C'mon, we have to get up today"

"Uwaa," I groaned.

She shushed me and hurried me into my clothes. Edward was getting Renesmee ready. When we walked back to the main house, Edward talked game plan.

"Renesmee, you will be with your mother in the dining room. Carlie, you and Seth will be working on Grandma Esme's upcoming birthday present. I'll come and introduce you later. We want to ease the Denali's to the idea of vampire hybrids," Edward squeezed my hand, knowing I hated to be separated by Renesmee.

Reaching the main house, Jacob nodded in acknowledgment to my parents. Seth fist-bumped Edward and grinned at Bella. Jacob hovered protectively over Renesmee, and Seth ushered me to the farthest room from the dining room. _Edward, you stupid overprotective vampire._ With a flourish, Seth produced a pack of paper and some markers.

"..."

Did Edward really think I would make a card? It felt so trite. This was really not the time to focus on such trivial things.

 _But it's the small moments we find happiness._

I thought about Esme's joy at Renesmee's first drawing. I imagined her overjoyed and teary face at receiving a handmade card from her grandbaby. _Edward, you sneaky manipulative vampire._ With a sigh, I plopped myself on the chair and grabbed a forest green marker.

By the time I finished doodling a flower at the back of my card, I heard an angry shout.

"How could you, Edward? Do you not know what this means?!"

I couldn't make-out the rest of the conversation, but Seth seemed to be listening intently to the conversation. Based on his facial expressions, nothing dire except the introduction of a new species.

* * *

Renesmee was scared.

She knew she didn't need to be scared. Mama was holding her, Papa was here, and Jacob was with her. Nobody was going to hurt her, but she was so scared. What if they didn't like her? Then her family would be in trouble. Jacob didn't tell her what kind of trouble. She had to do her job! Otherwise, her family was going to be hurt. It would be all her fault, aLL hEr fAuLT, ALL HER FAULT

Papa was by her in an instant, shushing her tears.

"It's going to be okay, Renesmee, don't be scared."

Sniffing away her tears, Renesmee nodded in consternation.

"It's all my fault," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have went hunting that day."

"No," Jacob, Papa, and Mama said in an instant.

Then there was the sound of someone pulling up in the driveway. Papa left quickly to see their guests, and she just shuddered into mama's arms. She was so scared.

"Baby girl," Bella soothed, "be strong for me. Be strong for Carlie."

Jacob chimed in as well, "Carlie will tease you forever if you keep crying."

 _Carlie._

Carlie, her little sister, born eight minutes after her. Renesmee was a big sister, and big sisters took care of little sisters, so she had a responsibility to put on her big girl shoes, and _MAN UP!_ She inhaled deeply, _I can do this._

 _(Somewhere in the other room, Tanya inquired why Edward Cullen was laughing out of the blue. Clearly, the situation was more serious than she thought. The Cullens were going crazy.)_

After a while, Mama picked her up and moved toward the living room. Inside were four vampires. They were all very pretty. _Not as pretty as Mama,_ Renesmee thought loyally.

The vampires reacted badly to her. They were afraid of her. _If only you know,_ Renesmee thought wistfully, _how much I am afraid of you._

One of them approached her, leaning into her face. Renesmee fought the urge to bury her face in Mama's hair. She had to be strong.

"You have your mother's eyes," she said, 'but your father's face," she smiled at her gently.

Renesmee beamed back, "Mama's the best," her eyebrows furrowed, "but I don't have mama's eyes. Her eyes are yellow." She pouted, she wanted to be as pretty as her mama.

The other vampires had flinched at her high soprano voice, but at her words, they approached a little closer.

"Can I show you?" Renesmee asked, raising her hand to the brunette's face.

Papa explained her gift, and one of the vampires stepped toward her, standing next to the brunette. His eyes peered at her intently, as if trying to analyze her.

When the brunette nodded, Renesmee pressed her hand against her face.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

 _Awareness, that is all she knows. There is another next to her, and she cuddles close to it. It is warm. She kicks her leg out, and there is a sudden snapping noise. She is unhappy. Someone else is unhappy. It is shaking. The other one nudges her, and she stops moving._

 _Her mama's haggard face._

 _Aunt Rose and Jacob cooing at her._

 _Pride at her first steps._

 _The scenes of her life are played faster: milk and blood, Papa playing the piano, Grandma Esme braiding her hair softly. The scenes flash faster-going to visit Grandpa Charlie- dress up with Aunt Alice-going hunting with Jacob-the blonde vampire shrieking at her-everyone leaving to travel-the sound of gravel as the Denali's car approaches-_

She pulls away.

* * *

Bella watches Renesmee convince the Denalis of their cause. She watches as her husband explains their death sentence. Will they stand by them? Will they support their cause?

When Tanya agrees to fight for them, Bella nearly sobs out in gratitude. Carmen is besotted with Renesmee, cradling her in her arms.

Eleazar is pacing the floor, marveling at their gifts.

Bella is thrilled to learn of her shielding ability. She was immune, she could take down Alec/Jan/Dimitri that terrorized her family. She could _project_ , and _shield her family_.

Carlie came in, dragging a reluctant Seth behind her.

She waved at the rest of the bewildered vampires.

"Hi"

* * *

Twins?" Tanya's voice broke in disbelief, "You certainly do things by half, Edward."

Edward rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "we didn't want to overwhelm you."

I plopped myself down next to Renesmee, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You omitted my existence?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "what if they didn't hybrids?"

 _Oh Renesmee, you fatalist._

Rolling my eyes at Renesmee, I batted my eyes at Carmen, "Señora es muy bonito,"

"Bonita,"' she corrected, laughing at the blatant compliment.

"Gender pronouns are hard"

Carmen patted my head, "perhaps I can teach you some Spanish in the short time I am here."

I beamed up at her.

"Awesome sauce."

"Awesome sauce, Edward?" Tanya remarked.

"You can see why we planned to introduce her later," Edward commented dryly. I pouted but agreed with Edward's assessment. I did come off a _little_ strong. Edward turned to Eleazar, "Like her mother, I cannot read Carlie at all. No talent ever manifests the same way...can you shed some light on the situation?

Eleazar seemed to hone on me.

"Fascinating," he murmured, "absolutely fascinating." Edward's head snapped up. Eleazar continued on, staring at me with fascination. I was a little concerned at this point.

"She's shielding me, but there is an….artificialness to the shield."

"Artificialness?" Bella interrupted.

"Yes," Eleazar nodded, "she has a shield wrapped around her, but it's not as snug or protective as yours. It protects her adequately, but the feeling of the shield," he grimaced in exasperation, "I don't know to explain the feeling. If anything, the shield doesn't seem to belong to her."

Edward held me in his arms, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know."

The disappointment was evident on Edward's face. I was angry, I had a gift, but didn't know what it was. I stared at Eleazar, hoping he would say something, _anything_ , to better explain the situation. Hell, even his thoughts could be enlightening. I clutched onto Edward, I wish I could read minds. I wish-I wish-I wish-I wish-

Like something out of a horror movie, I felt a numbing sensation in my head. I groaned into Edward's shoulder. I felt like someone banged on my head, there was an overwhelming amount of sensation in my brain. I could see the room for different angles. Memories flashed across my mind. People's _thoughts_ blurred across my mindscape

 _Must talk to Carlisle when he gets back, he could provide some insight-_

 _-Is Carlie okay-_

 _-Never had this happen before-_

 _-Mama mia, the beblinda is muy bonita, estoy-_

 _-Wonder what Carlie made for Grandma Esme-_

The information overload was too much. Everyone was thinking at the same time, and it wasn't just thoughts. It was the memories, the sensations, hearing multitude of sounds. Vampire senses were much more acute, and my head felt ready to explode from the detail and information.

"Papa," I sobbed out, "It hurts. It hurts so much."

"What's wrong, baby?" Edward soothed, "Tell me what's wrong."

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS! EVERYONE IS THINKING TOO LOUDLY," I wailed.

Eleazar gasped in surprise. Edward, piecing together the information, quickly whisked me away. The green scenery passed us like a blur. Edward was evidently running to ou cottage. When we got there, he jumped through the window, laying me in bed.

"Sleep, Carlie," he murmured. It was jarring to look at him. It felt as if _I was him._ I could feel his concerns, his thoughts, see from his point of view, see my ugly face, and feel his thougt process dance at lightening speed. Everything he thought mingled with mine, and I could no longer tell the difference between reality and his. Edward's thought quickly turned, becoming a musical composition.

"Shh…" he soothed, a lullaby tinkling in the back of my brain, "Sleep."

I closed my eyes, mentally exhausted from today.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Ta-da!** **If you couldn't catch onto Carlie's gift, it will be better explained in the next chapter. My only hint is that she is the reversal of Bella's gift. Bella protects, Carlie...? That being said, Carlie's gift will have limitations, I would hate for her to become a Mary-Sue. (Then again, the entire existence of Bella & Renesmee seem to be Mary-Sue). Alas, thank you for reading. Leave any comments regarding what vampires you want to see bond with Carlie, what you want the next few chapters to be focused about, etc. I have a hankering for her to learn self-defense. ;)**


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: HAHAHAHAHAHA. When I paused in light of finals...it turned out much longer then I expected. I sorta kinda forgot about this until someone off handedly asked how my writing was going. Insert my deer in highlights expression.**

 **I know it's been awhile since my last update. This chapter is significantly shorter than my usual posts, but hopefully a good bite into the overall plot. Please let me know what you feel about this chapter, and my writing overall. It has been a loooong few months.**

 **Many people have commented on what Carlie's gift is, and there have been quite a few winners. As the Cullen mansion become the vampire resort of the year, we shall see our sassy heroine delving deeper into her abilities.**

 **Without further adue, please enjoy this fantastically late update. :D**

* * *

I awoke with the unpleasant feeling that something had died in my mouth. I groaned, very carefully propping myself up. Opening my eyes, I shut them as quickly as I could.

 _Sweet merciful lord!_ The sun had apparently discovered a way to make brains bleed. Whimpering, I fell back into bed, and held onto my knees, willing the pounding in my head to go away.

Edward's voice broke me out of my reverie.

"She's alive" he teases lightly.

I flop over, trying to shield my eyes from the light.

"HMMMNNN."

I laid there for awhile until cool hands picked me up. Tucking me underneath his arms, Edward soothed nonsensical words in my ear while rocking me back and forth. Grumbling, I let him man-handle me into pliancy. It was nice, floating away into a blissful vacancy. As I began relaxing, Edward spoke quietly.

"What happened"

"I—I don't know," I said, voice breaking, "I don't know, Papa. I was just so angry that Mr. Eleazar couldn't say anything about my abilities. I just wanted to know what he was thinking, and I just started wishing really really hard that I could know like Papa could, and…"

I trailed off, frustration leaking into my voice. Edward peered down at me, eyes soft.

"And?" he prompted.

I looked down bashfully.

"I heard his thoughts."

Edward began using his fingers to comb through my tangled hair, "You could hear everyone's thoughts?"

"Yes"

"Can you hear my thoughts now?"

"No"

He hummed, and began separating my hair into three sections. I waited patiently for the man to weave my hair into sleek braid into Renesmee's signature braid. Bella, Alice, Esme, and Rosalie all adored Renesmee's curly hair, finding it a terrible crime to cut it. Jacob believed my sister was perfect just the way she was, and Renesmee just wanted everyone happy. Hence, her hair remained this ridiculous crazy long mass. A braid was the only way to manage it. When Edward got half-way through the braid, I found myself asking something that had been on my mind for awhile.

"Papa, how can you listen to what people think all the time?"

Edward paused in his weaving, collecting his thoughts before he spoke.

"My mind…. is different. I can think about many things at the same time. It can be overwhelming when there are too many people. Over time I've learned to tune people out, letting it wash over me. The key is to avoid listening to every thought. Otherwise," he grimaced, "it would be too much to handle."

"It hurt real bad listening to everyone's thoughts," I commented quietly.

Edward stilled.

"Carlie," he began seriously, "I want you to promise me to never try something like that again unless your mother and I are around."

"But papa!"

"No, Carlie," his tone unwavering. "We don't know what the limits of your gifts are, and I refuse to let something like this happen to you again. If you tried something like this when we aren't around…" his voice trailed off, "I'm not prohibiting you from exploring your gift, I just want you under supervision."

"An adult," I argued.

Edward pursued his lips tightly, "At least two."

Two I could work with.

"Two," I agreed.

We shook on it.

* * *

By the time we walked back to the main house, dawn had already descended. Renesmee was outside with Jacob playing some sort of hand game. I saw her head tilt my way, and in instant I had a handful of weepy twin in my arms. Renesmee was babbling, hands pressed against my arms.

 _Are you okay?_. _You look okay, but you're so pale! Did you get enough rest? Papa said you slept a lot, and you're better now. Are you hungry? There are blood bags since you missed supper. And lunch. Grandma says its bad to miss meals, and you missed two! Ohh! She's going to be so mad- "_

I broke away.

 _"I'm fine"_

Renemsee frowned at me, tiling her head to look at me from a different angle. Her forehead scrunched in concentration, before swooping down to reach mine. Our noses touched, and her eyes peered at me closely.

 _You look okay._

I rolled my eyes. _I'm fine._

She tried to glare, but failed utterly when her bottom lip trembled.

 _I'm your older sister. I have a right to worry about you._

My heart melted, and I squished her cheek in response.

She pouted, puffing her cheeks out before reaching for mine.

 _Yeah, we're going to be okay._

* * *

Renemsee took the liberty of updating me on everything I missed out on. Apparently in my absence, Peter and Charlotte had dropped by. Jasper and Alice had sent them, but they had no idea why. It was obvious neither of them had seen an immortal child. Renesmee cheerfully stated Peter's first reaction was to lunge in front of Charlotte in an attempt to protect her from the "rabid immortal child."

Needless to say, Mama was not amused.

My sister was a sly one. After discovering the couple was close to Jasper and Alice, she gave her "explanation" with me as the main star. She lingered at memories of me learning chess with Jasper. Her memories spanned months, and I'm sure the nomadic couple saw how much I grew during this time period.

It must have been mind trippy. I could imagine Peter struggling to reconcile his ruthless brother forged from blood and war to the teasing uncle from Renesmee's memories. Needless to say, Peter and Charlotte ended up staying. They kept a distance from the Denali Coven and my parents. Peter never approached me, but I saw him looking at me from time to time.

The Irish clan had also arrived when I was asleep, but they disappeared in the night presumably to go feeding.

Edward was busy acting as air security. He was murmuring lowly on the phone, busy arranging transportation for the incoming vampires. There would be terrible fall out if a few dozen vampires began chomping their way to the West Coast. Volturi bull, meet red flag.

Renesmee was fascinated with the new vampires in the house, but Jacob was quick to whisk her away to La Push. Bella went chaperoning. The three of them tried to dragged me along, but I was unexcited about pandering around the reservation when I could rest in the comfort of my own home.

"…you're so lazy," my sister remarked.

"Shush"

With that, the three of them left in the Volvo, and I found myself in the study room. Eyes glazed over from the sheer number of books, I randomly grabbed one, and moved to the downstairs kitchen. I poured myself a glass of water before sitting down. As I cracked the book open, the front door opened, and I felt an unnatural surge of wind brush past me.

"Can you actually read that?" a brogue voice lilted in my ear.

I jolted from my seat. I felt their check brush against mine, mouth also unnervingly close to my neck. Living in a family of vampires, you pretty much internalized the intimate and taboo nature of such a gesture.

I twisted around to meet the bemused smile of an ridiculous curly red head.

"Well?" she prompted.

Glancing down at the book, realized I grabbed one of Carlisle's super thick medical journals.

"…no."

"Good, A mere babe like you shouldn't read that."

I internally bristled. Whether it was her condescending tone or being called a "babe," the vampire rubbed me off the wrong way. I shot back an angry reply.

"Excuse me? I'll have you know my sister reads Tennyson. _For fun_ "

She raised a perfect obnoxious eyebrow.

"I don't doubt that, lass. But at least Tennyson is in English."

Squinting down, I realized that the tiny print in my hands was indeed not in English. Fudge nuggets, this was ridiculously embarrassing and incredibly annoying. I closed the book with a satisfying snap.

"Well," I began, cheeks flushed, "we learn new things everyday."

The red head laughed throatily.

"There's no need to be so embarrassed, I'm sure it's lonely to be by yourself."

I scowled. Everyone was rightfully busy, and I felt obligated to defend them.

"I'm not lonely," I stated.

She tilted her head, considering me closely.

"Oh? I don't think so."

It was my turn to arch an eyebrow

"How would you know?"

She smiled enigmatically.

"I have my ways."

It took me a few seconds to process her words. The red hair, the curls, the accent...omg it was Maggie from the Irish coven _. Lie detector Maggie._ The vampire from the Irish coven barely took up half a paragraph in _Breaking Dawn_. Yet, here she was right in front of me. I felt quite flummoxed with the situation, and tried to extend a metaphorical olive branch. It would be a really bad idea to piss her off.

"Well," I slowly began, "would you like to spend time with me? I'm afraid there's not much to do here…"

At this, her smile turned wicked.

This…this was not going to end well for anyone.

* * *

 **MAGGIE IS A TERRIBLE ENABLER.**

 **As I flip through _Breaking Dawn_ , I realize Stephanie Meyer pretty much summarized all the vampires arriving at the Cullens in less than two pages.**

 **I really want to focus on the next few chapters cultivating Carlie and Renesmee's relationships with the other vampires. That being said, I can't write something for each vampire...any suggestions on who and what context? (Garrett and Benjamin fans, I have heard and noted your cries!)**


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: This took longer then I expected...** ***hides in corner***

* * *

"What is this?"

I looked up to find Bella looming over me.

"Nothing!" I proclaimed, hastily shoving battle plans into a baby blue folder. Maggie twitched to the side, face pinched from my poorly delivered lie.

Bella twisted her head for a better view, "Nothing looks an awful like interrogation plans for Jacob."

I scowled, waving my hand imperiously.

"Necessary interrogation plans"

Bella's mouth twitched. "While the dedication to your sister is appreciated, I'm sure your father has enough ideas."

That's a good point. Edward probably has plans ranging from A to Z regarding Jacob. They must also be very good plans.

"I see," nodding gravely, "I must consult with Papa first."

Resigned, Bella turned to to the red head beside me.

"Thank you for indulging my daugher."

Maggie laughed, "Tis my pleasure. Perhaps next time I'll teach the little one how to lie better"

"Please don't" Bella commented dryly.

I scowled.

* * *

Doorbell ringing, Bella hustled her daughters away while Edward headed to open the door.

Four people dressed impeccably stood in the doorway, giving no indication of having traveled across continents. Midnight hair and sun kissed skin, they appeared quite "healthy" looking. Although Edward was used to vampire eyes, their glowing crimson eyes carried a serious gravity. Edward greeted the newly arrived coven, shaking hands with the men. He bowed in difference to the females, giving a welcoming smile.

"Thank you for journeying so far from home, I hope your travels were swift."

The older male nodded in acknowledgement, "It was a long journey, especially as we do not know why we traveled so far."

Undeterred by the passive aggressive behavior, Edward continued his pleasant appearance. "The secrecy was necessary due to the sensitive nature-something we are all too familiar with."

The older vampire scowled. Edward gestured to the right

"Shall we begin our discussion?"

When situated comfortably, Edward explained the situation. As the tale progressed, Amun stiffened. When Edward brought out the child, Amun's mind began racing.

The child was clearly related to Edward, that much is true. The child's scent and heartbeat was a unique combination. Having dealt with immortal children before, he knew the child standing before him was not such creature. His eyes narrowed. Regardless of what she was, it was clear she was dangerous unknown.

"Fascinating" his ward breathed out, eyes widening in interest. Amun resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Benjamin was too often attracted to bad ideas. The boy had no sense of self preservation.

Edward beamed across him, clearly pleased with the response.

"Will you listen to her story?"

His ward nodded, intrigued.

Palm touching palm, Benjamin's eyes glazed over. Amun's fingers tightened into a fist. Abilities affecting the mind always made him edgy, especially those that could delve into the minds of others. There is no way to ascertain someone with mind abilities to do what they claim. You can claim to be "showing a memory" when actually implanting thoughts. A vampire has strength in the physical, few can defend from mental attacks. With such vulnerability, no one should place themselves willingly under a mind ability.

If Amun had knew the child was delving in the mind, he would have prevented Benjamin from touching her palm. As expected, Tina followed her mate's actions. At least, Amun thought, they would both be under her spell.

When the girl turned to him and Kebi expectantly, he shook his head. Regardless of her abilities, Amun knew it was dangerous to stay here. Despite the Cullens asking for mere "witnesses," the Volturi took power demonstrations as challenges. They never forget, and the volturi did not stay in power through the centuries by generosity. They know nothing of it.

Those who stood against them either disappeared suddenly or was executed on groundless accusations. Amun is not young, bold, and stupid. He is old from caution and experience. He will not let the actions of a foreign coven bring his coven's downfall.

As a result, Amun stood from his chair.

"I'm afraid we cannot be of any assistance. Please give my regards to Carlisle as we intend to depart immediately."

At this, his ward gazed back at him, a determined clench in his jaw.

"I would like to stay."

Amun gritted his teeth, "We must put the safety of the coven first."

"I will do the right thing, Amun. You may do as you please"

The boy was threatening to leave the coven. Ra above, why must someone so powerful be so stupid.

"Centuries I have stood to protect us. _That is the right thing_. Our coven will leave, and that is final."

A stranger looked back at him, and Amun's paused at Benjamin's expression. He only seen that determined expression once on his face. The boy will not budge. At their impasse, Amun had to concede. He could not afford to lose Benjamin to the Cullen's cause. Spilled water never returns to the cup.

"Perhaps I am too hasty." Amun bit out.

Knowing to accept victory graciously, Edward gestured upstairs. "Allow me to give you a tour of the house, Carlisle has some artifacts you might be interested in."

Jerking his head in agreement, Amun and the Egyptian coven followed him up the stairs.

* * *

I found Edward and Eleazar talking in the living room.

"Quite," Edward said, "I have never heard of anything like it."

I tugged on Edward's pants, "What is?"

Picking me up, Edward nudged my nose with his.

"I haven't seen you all day, how's my little one?"

"Papa! You're being embarrassing."

Chuckling, he turned me to face Eleazar, "Mr. Eleazar and I were discussing our new visitors."

"Ohh! Where are they from?"

"Egypt" Eleazar replied.

"!"

Eleazar sent Edward a bemused expression. _If it weren't for her appearance, I would never believed she was yours._

Edward huffed.

* * *

Renesmee stared at the rows and rows of food with wide eyes.

Originally, I planned on going upstairs to catch a glimpse of our latest visitors. Knowing my intentions, Edward dragged me and Renesmee to the Volvo with the explanation, "We're going to visit Grandpa Charlie"

Once at Charlie's house, the man fussed at how fast we were growing. When hugging us, he mumbled at our feverish temperature, staring accusingly at Edward. When Edward left, Charlie drove us to the grocery store.

"Well kids," Charlie boisterly said, "pick out what you like."

Renesmee's eyes widened. She reached a hand towards me, and dragged me away.

If I think about it, this is probably Renesmee's first time shopping. Considering how the Cullens were weary of bringing us into public, and how busy things were recently, we never had a chance to really interact in a public setting. It's also the first time we had control over food. Between Carlisle, Esme, and Bella, we always ate a carefully balanced diet of blood, fruit, vegetables, and protein. The rest of the family had watched high school students consume bags of processed food during lunch. Given a vampire's sharp sense of smell, they could smell the chemical and artificial flavorings.

As Rosalie once haughtily stated "Humans are so lazy with their frozen meals and take-out. My nieces will never become so gauche."

That's not to say Renesmee and I never had dessert. We had culinary delights from macaroons to carefully iced cakes. Still, there is something missed about cheap Mcflurrys from McDonald's.

Renesmee breathed in sharply.

I looked up, eye level with bags and bags of Kisses.

Ahh, candy. How I've missed you so.

* * *

When Edward returned to pick up his children, he found his youngest passed out on the couch, and his eldest vibrating in her seat. He brushed against Charlie's smug mind, sighing internally. His father-in-law used really low tactics. Feeding his children copious amounts of sugar, Carlie was now passed out and Renesmee hyperactive.

Nodding towards Charlie, Edward picked up his daughter. Renesmee trailed after him, small hand in his.

 _Sugar sugar sugar._

 _Picking out all the things she wanted to try. Colorful Swedish fish, twizzlers, and coconut chocolate bars are the best thing ever. Carlie made a horrified face at her choices, but ate them anyway. Grandpa Charlie also gave us pizza and soda. Does papa and mama know how to make pizza?_

Edward sighed outright this time. Bella was going to kill him.

* * *

 **To recap, not much has happened. Egyptian came and the twins went to Grandpa's place. Next chapter, more excitement will happen. Suppose this is an interlude?**


	10. Funshot

**AN: As much as we like to believe that people focus on their own storylines, we actually read way waaayyy more. Inspired by the inheritance tumblr prompts, this work is a side-fic and funshot to QS. In the future, you can find other funshots on a separate storyline. I'll take prompts if you PM me or leave it in the comment section.**

 **This funshot DOES NOT HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE QS PLOTLINE. It's just for kicks and giggles and because I think it's hilarious. :3**

* * *

 _You died and left me a fanatically loyal warrior order._

* * *

Carlie stares at the vampire, eyes wide, mouth hanging unattractively open. Concerned with her response, Demetri turned to his fellow guard member, Felix, who just gave a brief shrug.

"Master?"

Carlie chokes at the title. She's gone from shock to denial. "Ughwah," Carlie blurts out, struggling to come up with something coherent and appropriately commanding.

The vampires take pity on her, "We will return for your reply in three days?"

Mindlessly, Carlie bobs her head up and down.

After the vampires disappear, the werewolves decide to grace Carlie with their presence. Renesmee has recently begun accompanying them on patrol. Absentmindedly, Carlie waves her over.

Renesmee appears beside Carlie, face murderous. "What happened?" she demanded.

Carlie pauses, not sure where to begin. After all, it's not every day you're made King of Vampires.

* * *

"The vampire monarchy has always been established through challenges. Complete annihilation of the previous monarchy has been the only way to obtain power. There has never been a case where royalty was appointed by a previous ruler."

"To keep the balance," Carlisle continued, "The council needs a third vote to make decisions. As we've seen, Marcus is passive while Caius is aggressive. Aro is normally the deciding vote, his death left a void in the council."

"What I don't understand," Bella hissed, "is why did he choose a Cullen. We're a threat, we're the last family Aro would want on the throne."

Edward sighed in response, "Our last interaction with the Volturi has spread. Vampires consider the Volturi weak and have begun eyeing power, believing it wouldn't take much to unseat the Volturi. Aro's death is proof of the Volturi's vulnerability. We are the largest, most gifted, and most connected coven. "They are seeking to ally with us."

"The guards" Esme murmured.

"We're tied to Aro," Edward explained. "Aro made sure they were loyal to him foremost. Based on what I've heard, Chelsea didn't tie the guards strongly to Marcus and Caius.

The more I thought about it, the more I understood Aro's twisted logic. The Cullens were powerful. They were a threat to the Volturi. My ascension would ensure the Cullens would fall in line. Their fierce love and loyalty meant the Volturi not only gained me but also the entire Olympic coven as well. But why me?

I vocalized my thoughts, and it was Renesmee that replied.

'We're popular," Renesmee mused, "We have the strongest relationships with most vampire covens"

"But why not you?" I whined, "you're the responsible one."

She looked at me dryly, flicking her eyes to her promise ring. I paused. Damn Jacob.

I looked up to find Jasper and Edward exchanging meaningful looks.

"Uncle Jasper?"

Snapping out of their trance, Jasper looked at me. "Yes, Carlie?"

"What are you and Papa talking about?"

Edward interjected, "Nothing. Just some thoughts"

Jasper frowned, "Edward, she deserves to know"

I jutted my chin forward, "Yes, I do"

"Why must you take after your mother" Edward muttered. Bella rolled her eyes.

Jasper chose to spoke. If there was one thing I had to appreciate, it was Jasper's ability, to be honest, and direct. "It's possible that the Volturi doesn't plan on giving you any power. Marcus shouldn't bother you too much, but Caius will undermine you. At best, they'll keep you as a puppet." Grimacing, Jasper continued his analysis, "the guards may be loyal, but to what extent? We weren't popular our last meeting."

"But," I protested, "They're coming back in three days."

At this, Jasper pursed his lips in disapproval.

"Carlie, you can always reject the offer. It's dangerous."

Rosalie agreed with Jasper, choosing to weigh in. "You owe the Volturi nothing."

Indeed, I didn't owe them anything, and power grabs were dangerous

Although most of the Cullens agreed with Jasper's statement, I found myself looking at Edward, who hadn't weighed judgment. He understood how the Volturi worked. Most importantly, he understood me. He appeared resigned as if already knowing my decision.

* * *

He found me on the swing set. He pushed me, seeing as I wasn't moving on the swing. I closed my eyes, knees bending when the swing came back down. There was much to think about, and much to discuss.

"Are you angry?"

"No"

"You're unhappy though"

"I want you to be safe"

I closed my eyes. "Staying home doesn't mean I'll be safe."

"It's safer than Italy"

I hummed in response, knowing I wouldn't win that conversation.

"Why do you want to leave?" He stopped the swing, and cradled my face, "your family is here. We adore you. Your sister is here, and she would be devastated-"

"She's leaving soon"

He frowned at that.

"She will be nearby"

"She has her own life to live, one that doesn't need constant interference from her family"

It was years in the making, but it was true. Renesmee was drifting away from the Cullens, finding solace in La Push with the werewolves and the rest of the imprints. She and Claire got along like a house on fire, something I was initially upset over before realizing their connection was something I could forge. That is unless a werewolf decided to imprint on me. The past few months Renesmee started learning interior designing and real estate with Esme. It was a subtle reminder that she and Jacob would start looking for their own house on La Push. It was too early for anything concrete to happen, but in a few years, Renesmee would have started her own family.

Edward was also painfully aware of this.

"You have your mother and me. You have your grandfather and grandmother. Your Aunts and Uncles. Why do you want to leave?"

"Because I want to live my own life" I mumbled, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life going to high school or college. I'm not Renesmee, I don't want to be a homemaker. I can't have a career because I don't age. What can I do with my life?"

"You could travel," Edward said, "Your Aunts wants to take you to fashion week in Milan. Carlisle says the hospital is looking for interns-"

"I want something substantial. I want somewhere to make my own place and to seize something with my own hands. I'm going, Papa, because I want something more than this repetitive life."

At this, he fell silent. He didn't agree with what I said. In the end, he sighed, kissing the top of my head.

"Make sure to call us every day"

* * *

It's been one year since her crowning. Crime rate is down blood stores aplenty. Rebellious naysayers disposed of, and the rest of the vampire community silent on the matter. Her reign is solidified. She started a vampire council comprised of vampires from covens across the world. Nomads are welcome to join. Random vampires are also eligible to listen from the audience.

The guards have also begun to recognize Carlie is capable of taking care of herself.

Renata had died with Aro, so there were no guards gifted with defense. Subsequently, a bizarre guard rotation had formed. As she was a squishy half human, her 37 guards fretted over her fragility and decided unanimously she needed to be watched 24/7. Carlie took this in stride, only stepping her foot down occasionally. The conversations normally went something like this:

"Master," Santiago pleaded.

Carlie was unamused. "I fail to understand why I need two guards in my room _watching me sleep."_

"It's no issue," Felix grumbles, "we don't need to rest"

"What? No. That's not the issue here. The fact is, you will not station yourself in my room. Period."

Her guards wilted, and Carlie felt a twinge of pity.

"You can station yourself _outside_ my room."

They perked up.

Ahh, compromise. Still, it's peaceful. Very peaceful, which was why Carlie should have known the next vampire council meeting would be full of ridiculousness.

* * *

Tanya clears her throat. "Following up today's agenda, we would like to discuss Volturi's succession plans"

"To start with" one nameless representative from Japan, "do you plan on having children?."

Carlie stares down her council.

"And what is the council's purpose in inquiring this?" Caius asks scathingly.

"Has her highness chosen a father for her future children?"

Behind her, Felix and Demetri have become stone.

Carlie turns to Carlisle representing the Olympian coven. She raises an eyebrow, silently asking her grandpa why he was onboard this ridiculousness.

He smiles, his face earnest and open.

She scowled.

The old man wanted more great-grandchildren.

"And if I haven't?" she bites out

"Allow the council to assist and select a potential father, especially as he will be involved in the caretaking of your children. Of course, the final candidate will be approved by your highness" Amun says gravely.

Carlie spies the twin guards on the banisters, eyes flashing ominously. Carlie really hopes they don't make a scene, she doesn't want the guard scraping vampire charcoal off her nice architecture.

"And why can't I simply nominate a successor?"

At this, Tanya voices her concern, "Bias, currying favor….a monarchy through bloodline is more favorable than one through nomination." Tanya is apologetic when she says this, clearly not as excited about the plan as the rest of the council.

In the end, Marcus was in favor of the council whereas Caius sneers at the council pathetic attempt at grabbing power. It's a rare occasion for Carlie to be in agreement with the sour-faced vampire.

"I have heard the council's concerns, and will address the proposal in the future" Carlie declares. Internally, she huffs. _In the far distant future_.

The guards agree vehemently.

* * *

The next few years went quickly. Social media and video cameras made secrecy much more difficult, something vampires did not understand. There were several close run-ins and too many YouTube videos. Luckily, the general public consensus was too much body glitter and the recent supernatural craze taking over popular culture. Still, she had sent out a few guards to have a thorough "talk" with the offenders.

At some point, she finds herself at La Push visiting her sister.

They're sitting on the porch drinking iced tea with a twist of O negative, watching Renesmee's spawn toddle across the lawn.

"Isn't it nice," Renesmee hums, "to be back home."

Carlie looks over her expensive sunglasses, "My home is fine architecture in the heart of sprawling art and culture"

Her sister smiles knowingly, "Jacob would never step foot in vampire capital"

Carlie waves it aside, "Since when do you need him to go with you. Grab your passport and the kid, we got plenty of rooms. If it's an issue, leave the kid behind" she pauses, "Italian men are also very pretty."

Renesmee laughs, "I think I'll be okay."

Carlie grunts. "Your loss."

They watch the kid pick grass and shove it into his mouth before spitting it out. The scene is so idyllic, Carlie wonders when her sister's life became so mundane.

"You're happy?" Carlie asks.

"Yes"

"Huh"

Her sister sighs. "It's not without troubles. Jacob has started aging again. It's not an issue, but in a few years…"

In a few years, her sister will appear 18 whereas Jacob would look 25. Given another five, ten years, and their relationship would turn heads. At some point, Renesmee would look like Jacob's daughter, and that would just lead to all sorts of weird questions. Jacob would live longer than most, but he would eventually pass away. Renesmee would live forever. Unlike their parents, Jacob would never become a vampire.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be, I'm happy. I have no regrets." Her sister smiles, "if anything, you should consider finding someone to make you happy."

"I don't need someone to be happy."

"No," her sister agrees, "but it's nice to have someone."

Renesmee impishly adds, "I've seen the way your guard looks at you. You look at him the same way."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Carlie"

Carlie throws her hands in the air, "it's weird, okay. It's wrong because of the power dynamic. They call me "Master" and that adds all sorts of difficult I don't want to deal with. What if it all goes FUBAR?"

Her sister is unimpressed, "You have to try"

"There isn't a reset button."

"There shouldn't be one."

"Please stop. I'll think about it, okay?"

Her sister considers this and nods. The subject matter is closed, and they continue watching the kid toodle.

* * *

When she arrives back in Volturi, she allows the guard to fuss over her vulnerability in wolf territory. Caius and Marcus update her on the crisis in Brazil, and she sighs into her heavily plushy throne.

It was good to be home.

* * *

 **In the end, this became much more serious than I anticipated. It incorporated a lot of things I was concerned about. Everyone seems to believe you need a mate to be happy. I chose to omit who the mysterious guard was because it simply wasn't Carlie's priority. Maybe one day.** **I also think Carlie is stubborn enough to run in the opposite direction everyone is pushing her towards.**

 **Well, what do you think? Do you have any funshot ideas for me?**


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